Paper Topic:

Aboriginal People and Criminal Justice System

Running Head : CANADIAN ABORIGINALS

The Fairness of Self-Government for Canadian Aboriginals

Student Name

It can be argued that Canadian Aboriginals are constantly fighting - fighting for land , fighting to be understood , and fighting for equal rights and representation . Now , among other things , Canadian Aboriginals are fighting for the continued right of self-government

Sometimes called First Nations Peoples , indigenous peoples , or Indians the Canadian aboriginals want the pre-colonized right to self-govern Currently , many aboriginals work off of their reservations , and interact with non-aboriginals so heavily , that their inherent rights often get

br trampled on . As aboriginals make deals to sell some of their land to the Canadian government , they are also asking for a recognized right to be free from Canadian rule . Many non-aboriginal Canadian citizens see this as a problem . They see the right of self-government as a way to circumvent the laws

I believe aboriginals and non-aboriginals will both feel a little more secure with reassurance , and some education . My first step would be to tear down the discriminating stereotypes that have plagued aboriginals for so long . Robert Harding (2006 ) wrote that there was a time when policy makers thought that depriving aboriginal people of basic civil rights is not only for the greater good of settler society , it is also beneficial for aboriginal people themselves (p . 208 . Harding is referring to a speech that was made in 1860 , but this attitude is still pervasive . I would encourage interaction that would allow non-aboriginals and aboriginals to work together cohesively , so that non-aboriginals have no reason to hold on to the misinformation of old . The colonization of aboriginals , and the aboriginals ' hesitancy to accept Canada 's laws that are different from their own , has led the aboriginal people to be viewed as oppositional , inferior , and even child-like (p . 209 . Again , education can solve this problem . Michael Murphy (2001 ) offers some salient points that I , too , would advance to Canadian citizens in an effort to ease their discomfort about the self-government of aboriginals . Murphy wrote that non-aboriginals erroneously believe that aboriginals are looking for absolute and unrestrained authority (p . 113 . Instead , aboriginals are looking for the ability to reweav[e] the socio-economic , cultural and political fabric of their communities (p . 114 . Hopefully , this explanation lends itself to a better interpretation of what the aboriginal people want and need

If this is not sufficient , I would explain , as Murphy does , the idea of interdependence . He wrote

Negotiations must be joined so as to establish terms of co-operation The desire is not for an archetypal political relationship in which powers , jurisdictions and institutions remain either undifferentiated across different groups or fixed and frozen in place . Instead , what is sought is a series of flexible relationships tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of the community or group in question , and subject to periodic review and renegotiation as these needs and circumstances change (113

Basically , I 'd be saying that while the right to decide on education for their children would be left up to the aboriginals...

3 pages

26.0 KB

Free sing-up