Becoming Canadian. Federal-provincial Indian policy and the integration of Natives, 1945-1969: The case of Ontario.
Since Confederation, the federal government has pursued a policy of assimilation toward Canada's First Nations. Measures such as the Indian Act, the creation of reserves, and numerous treaties were implemented to "civilize" Natives, dispose of Aboriginal land rights, and ultimately in...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | unknown |
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University of Ottawa (Canada)
2000
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10393/8691 https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-15944 |
| Summary: | Since Confederation, the federal government has pursued a policy of assimilation toward Canada's First Nations. Measures such as the Indian Act, the creation of reserves, and numerous treaties were implemented to "civilize" Natives, dispose of Aboriginal land rights, and ultimately integrate Natives within Canadian society. However, by the Second World War, most federal authorities realized that the government's policy had failed. Thus, other means were adopted to achieve the goal of assimilation. The new method, first elaborated in the late 1940s, proposed that the federal government devolve its jurisdiction over First Nations to the provincial governments so that Natives could receive provincial services on the same basis as non-Natives and thus be considered "normal" citizens. Consequently, federal Indian administration, the Indian Act, and the special status of Natives could be abolished since they had received full citizenship with all its benefits and responsibilities. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the federal and provincial governments signed agreements to arrive at this end with Ontario leading the way. However, in 1969, this method of integration met the same forsaken fate as its predecessors. This thesis will examine the federal government's integration policy from 1945 to 1969 by focusing, but not limiting itself, to the agreements that were signed between Ontario and Ottawa regarding the delivery of social services. The study will also look at the Native reaction toward this policy and the rise of opposition which led to its demise. |
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