UN Urged To Declare Canada's Treatment Of Aboriginals 'Genocide'
- Thread starter Sons of Liberty
- Start date
What would be the point? I mean, let's say the General Assembly generally assembles, and declares by unanimous vote, with lots of whereases and considerings, that Canada committed genocide against the Indians, and the Security Council does likewise. What will it change?
It's been my experience that many Canadians pay too much attention to the UN, it's a bureaucratic body that basically votes on resolutions with no teeth. Nobody adheres to their resolutions because everyone knows they cannot enforce it. The UN delegates are basically there to get drunk and **** hookers in New York. That's the long and short of it.
To your answer, it won't matter, what matters is the quest for truth in a historical context. What happened then is then, Canadians of today have nothing to apologize for.
There's a lot of truth in that. It is not, however, "the long and short of it."
Wouldn't it be easier to just declare your particular position "the truth," and defend it on the internet from emotionally-motivated attacks by people as ignorant as you? (I mean "you" as a generic, not you specifically, Son.) Might could save a few pesos.
On the other hand, it ain't like the UN was doing anything important this week.
The UN has morphed into a political body in the last years.
One of the things that I find extremely interesting is that the UN has an massive inventory of investigating that they could be doing right in their own back yard (Europe), let alone Asia and China.
Years (thousands?) of recorded history that has witnessed the borders moving, invasions galore, multiple 'conquests' and more attempts at erasing entire cultures and genocidal activities that I could possibly count.
If that's what they want, no prob...my infractomatic autogun has unlimited ammo.
****ing cool, Loc.
There were very similar questions being asked when the Prime Minister issued apology on behalf of the government to native peoples a while back. Yes, history is history, you simply cannot change the past but at the same time the acknowledgement can still be something meaningful. I would say, regardless of whether the UN has any real teeth or not, they are still a cohesive group (of a sorts) with some aspects of official stature. I view it as purely symbolic, and symbolism can have an affect and meaning.
Hell, we can't even get politicians and folk with the power to fess up and admit how they're doing it to us today. How are you planning on making 150-year-old ones to admit errors of 150 years ago? If one has lost something that he has actually held in his hands, then he has a legitimate complaint.
I'm not denying anything. I say over and over bad sh*t happened. What I want is a clear picture of what the indians want. You say they want truth and acknowledgement. Fine. We can take money off the table and proceed.
I'll stick with cynical...for now anyway.
As far as compensatory monies go, if someone were (for example) railroaded and falsely imprisoned for a good portion of their adult lives because of corrupt or inept judicial system, I'd say they are deserving of some kind of compensation. Can't undo it, can't give someone back years, but something has to be done. I feel the exact same way regarding adult survivors of residential schools. That's not 'throwing money', that is an attempt at compensation.
Regardless, there are people that will look at either scenario, be upset at the large payouts the government is making, and blame the recipient. It's that last part where it falls apart for me. I can understand being upset over large payments having to be made, but blaming the victim as opposed to directing the wrath where it properly belings, at the system of government that allowed it in the first place, is baffling.
Unfortunately, our history is not so ancient. Residential schools didn't all finally close until 1996.... '96 for crying out loud, and sterilizations occurred right up until 1972.
Then there was the foster program, and I can speak to this very personally S. I don't know what was written policy, and what was unwritten social rule, but, it was common that the slightest infraction would see FN families stripped of their kids. They would then be turfed into the foster program. It achieved two goals. It was extra income and slave labour for white farm families. And it broke up their family unit (sometimes for good as paperwork was often 'lost' if the kids were young enough). Hubby's family fostered three native children starting 50 years ago. They were criticized because they made every effort to keep the kids in touch with their families, and adopted them, instead of 'just' fostering them and cutting them loose once they hit 18. They are a tight knit family to this day, and only one of them chooses to not maintain ties with her biological family. The things I've learned from those aunts and uncles, about how the foster system worked, were shocking and heart breaking. And they don't hold a grudge, they're not angry about where they ended up. But, the facts are the facts, and they have learned more about it than most due to the family involvement in it. I thank god I grew up in the information age, where those kinds of abuses are no longer possible.
Beautifully put.
It doesn't work that way. You can't write history according to what it saves you.
All of these atrocities have been recognized and paid out in compensation to people who suffered them, so I don't get where you assume there is a hand out (other than your racial biases).
Maybe it isn't, but I have attended votes and proceedings in the past and it is all symbolic with no meaning. If the UN is to be taken seriously it needs to be restructured.
I do think the UN can do good, I really do, but it is not, anything they do is corrupt to the bone. I'm hoping some day, in my lifetime, people will realize that we're all the same, that we all have made great injustices and that some day all of them will see the light of day, for the sake of those who were lost.
The government yes, it should apologize, as an entity that existed then and now, why should Canadians apologize though? The vast majority still doesn't know about it.
I'll stick with cynical...for now anyway.
As far as compensatory monies go, if someone were (for example) railroaded and falsely imprisoned for a good portion of their adult lives because of corrupt or inept judicial system, I'd say they are deserving of some kind of compensation. Can't undo it, can't give someone back years, but something has to be done. I feel the exact same way regarding adult survivors of residential schools. That's not 'throwing money', that is an attempt at compensation.
Regardless, there are people that will look at either scenario, be upset at the large payouts the government is making, and blame the recipient. It's that last part where it falls apart for me. I can understand being upset over large payments having to be made, but blaming the victim as opposed to directing the wrath where it properly belings, at the system of government that allowed it in the first place, is baffling.
Once the pay out is made... is that the end of it? Let's say a final compensation is made (along with another apology of course) then the issue is resolved? No more special treatment etc.?
Canadians don't need to apologize but a little knowledge of what really happened and what is continuing to happen would go a long way to aliviate the kind of ignorant rants we get from the likes of Politicalnick. Aboriginal kids are still being abducted and families torn apart by Social Services and people should know the truth before they go flying off the handle with only bits of misinformation.
Now, Social Services needs grounds, and records, and there are appeals etc. Families are still being torn apart, yes. But, not simply 'by social services'. The social services departments are often working in close conjunction with the bands to attempt to deal with the issues these communities face, namely addiction. Families are being torn apart by addiction, by dysfunction. Social services can't simply leave the kids in place. I know social workers in both Alberta and Saskatchewan who specialize in FN issues. I have friends who've fostered, worked group homes, and adopted. I've seen the issue from a variety of facets.
I don't think Canadians themselves did apologize but I think the apology that was issued was as symbolic for us as it was for First Nations peoples. Because it's about the acknowledgment.
Don't you think they (we) should? That's not going to happen without bringing it forward and acknowledging it.
Don't misunderstand me, I don't think any UN resolution is going to radically alter Canadian internal policy and affairs, nor should it simply on that reason alone. But this is something that needs to be faced head on. Even though it mostly happened long ago (although as Karrie already pointed out, not so very long ago in some cases) when something is as monumental as this, it can stop you from moving forward. For First Nations peoples themselves and for Canada as a whole.
The problem is that addiction and dysfunction is a direct result of residential schools and the policies of the past. I know native women who were victims, who had no nurturing in the schools and were incapable of even hugging their children. They managed to beat their addiction but suffer from the guilt of not being able to be good mothers.
That's why so many still need social services to work with them. With them being the key part of that.