Aboriginal Treatment and Treaty Analysis

Aboriginal Treatment

• Treaty Sacredness: Treaties were considered sacred by Indigenous peoples due to their emphasis on honour, even if agreements were oral.
• Reason for Signing Treaties: Indigenous peoples signed treaties due to:
  • Government threats of loss of everything if chiefs refused.
  • Promises made by the government, which Indigenous peoples were unaware the government would not keep.
• Promises in Exchange for Signing Treaties: Indigenous peoples were promised:
  • Right to live on reserves.
  • Right to hunt and fish within reserve limits.
  • Yearly payments.
  • Agricultural tools and techniques.
  • Schools on reserves.
• Consequences of Treaty No. 6: The signing of Treaty No. 6 resulted in:
  • Loss of millions of acres of land.
  • Extinction of the bison population.
  • Starvation among Indigenous people.
• Unfairness of the Indian Act: The Indian Act was deemed unfair because:
  • Indigenous people were denied voting rights and the right to consume alcohol
  • Indigenous women who married non-Indigenous men lost their status, while non-Indigenous women who married Indigenous men gained it.
  • Federal government allowed private companies to harvest timber on reserves.
  • Indigenous people were tried in languages other than their own.
  • Right to vote could only be obtained by renouncing Indigenous status

Colonization

• Quarantine of Passengers: Passengers arriving in Canada were quarantined to prevent the entry of individuals with contagious diseases.
• Immigration Act Objectives: The Immigration Act aimed to prevent the entry of those with contagious diseases into Canada and to limit the number of immigrants per ship.
• Rupert's Land Usage Regulations: The Power Lands Act established the rules for using Rupert's Land.
• Prairie Division: The prairies were divided into cantons, each approximately 10 square kilometers.
• Homesteading: A homestead was a plot of land set aside for a family to farm. Conditions included constructing a house and operating a farm within three years; failure to meet these conditions led to the return of the land.

Transcontinental Railway

• Pacific Scandal: John A. Macdonald's government accepted a $350,000 bribe from a contractor as part of the railway deal, creating the Pacific Scandal.

• Railway Construction Difficulties: Challenges included insufficient funds, difficult terrain (Rocky Mountains, Ontario muskeg), and a shortage of workers.

• Injustices to Chinese Workers: Chinese workers faced:

  • Assignment of dangerous jobs.
  • Casualties from blasting
  • Insufficient food rations.
  • Inadequate housing.
  • Lack of medical care.
  • Lower wages compared to other workers.
  • Government refusal to cover repatriation costs.
  • Government imposed restrictions making it hard for family immigration.

• National Policy: The National Policy was an economic program that encouraged Canadian industry through:

  • Increased tariffs on foreign-made goods.
  • Decreased tariffs on imported raw materials.

• Railway Contract: The Canadian Pacific Railway received the contract for the Transcontinental Railroad, alongside grants of:

  • $25 million.
  • Approximately 10 million hectares of land.
  • A 20-year non-competition guarantee.

Northwest Rebellion

• Cause of the Rebellion: The Northwest Rebellion stemmed from settlers' desire to colonize Saskatchewan, following Métis displacement from their Manitoba lands, fearing a repeat of land loss.
• Native Warfare Tactics: Indigenous peoples employed guerrilla warfare tactics, using ambushes and surprise attacks.
• Reason for Battle of Batoche Loss: The Métis forces lost the Battle of Batoche due to disagreements between leaders Gabriel Dumont and Louis Riel on strategy (surprise vs. defense).
• Fate of Indigenous Leaders: Indigenous leaders Poundmaker and Big Bear, alongside Louis Riel, faced imprisonment (three years for the leaders). Riel faced execution.
• Anglophone-Francophone Tensions: Riel's execution created tension between Anglophones and Francophones because Anglophones viewed him as a criminal, whereas Francophones saw him as a hero for protecting the Métis rights.

Mixed Bag

• Riel's War Lieutenant: Gabriel Dumont served as a Lieutenant in Louis Riel's provisional government. - NAFTA Impact: Canada's adoption of NAFTA led to duty-free access for US and Mexican products.
• Macdonald's Succession: Following the Pacific Scandal, John A. Macdonald ceded power to Alexander Mackenzie, who became Canada's second Prime Minister.
• Bribery: Bribery involve money or gift given in return for a favor.
• Guerrilla Warfare: A type of warfare involving harassment of the enemy via surprise attacks and ambushes.