How Canada Committed Genocide Against the First Nations People - Bernie Farber - The Huffington Post
On Monday October 14th Former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, Elder Fred Kelly a survivor of the genocide that was designed 'to kill the Indian in the child' and a living specimen of the nutritional experiments conducted in at least six residential schools between 1947-1952, a Spiritual Elder and member of the AFN Council of Elders, Dr. Michael Dan President of Gemini Power Corp and a First Nations Advocate and Bernie M Farber, human rights activist and Senior VP of Gemini Power Corp had. the unique and historic opportunity to meet with Professor James Anaya, the Special UN Rapporteur for Indigenous people. This is the forward to information gathered pertaining to their conviction that Canada's history with First Nations people was not just dark and brutal but in fact constituted a "genocide" as defined by the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide.
Genocides rarely emerge fully formed from the womb of evil. They typically evolve in a step-wise fashion over time, as one crime leads to another and another.
The Holocaust is the undisputed genocide of all genocides, and it has been argued passionately by many historians that no other dark period in human history quite compares to it. Although
qualitatively true in some aspects, modern historians no longer need to rely on shades of darkness in order to analyze genocide.
The United Nations Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) was adopted on December 9, 1948. It gives very a clear definition of what is and what is not a genocide. Stated another way,
since 1948, social scientists have had the necessary tools to determine if genocide has occurred. [It should also be pointed out that under the CPPCG, actions committed with the intention
to commit genocide is itself a crime, and not just the act of genocide].
It's clear that Canada's first Prime Minister Sir John A.
MacDonald's policy of starving First Nations to death in order to make way for the western expansion of European settlers meets the criteria of genocide under the CPPCG.
Similarly, the entire residential school system also passes the genocide test, in particular if you consider the fact that the Department of Indian Affairs, headed by Duncan Campbell Scott, deliberately ignored the recommendations of Peter Bryce, Canada's first Chief Medical Officer, regarding the spread of tuberculosis in the
schools. Such willful disregard for the basic principles of public health constitutes an act of genocide by omission, if not deliberate commission.
Finally, we have the very recent and painful memory of forced removal of First Nations children from their families by Indian Agents which occurred in the 1960's, also known by the popular
term "Sixties Scoop." This is an act of genocide that clearly meets the CPPCG test, and also fell outside of the residential school system.
We hold that until Canada as represented by its government engages in a national conversation about our historical treatment of the First Nations; until we come to grips with the fact that
we used racism, bigotry and discrimination as a tool to not only assimilate First Nations into the Canadian polity but engaged in a deliberate policy of genocide both cultural and physical,
we will never heal.
The fact that Canada's Aboriginal peoples have not been wiped out, and are indeed growing in numbers, is not proof that genocide never occurred, as some would have us believe. The historical and psychological reality of genocide among our Aboriginal communities is very much alive and a part of living memory. The sooner we recognize this truth, the sooner both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians will be able to heal from our shared traumas.
The materials gathered herein should give you the basis from which to form an opinion and hopefully urge authorities to begin the process of investigation, historical analysis and discussion.
The above letter was the introduction to a full submission of materials to Professor James Anaya pertaining to our conviction that Canadian policy over more than hundred years can be defined as a genocide of First Nations under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Our goal in presenting this material is to give you an historical framework and reference point to Professor Anaya's vital work as The UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous peoples.
cientists have had the necessary tools to determine if genocide has occurred. [It should also be pointed out that under the CPPCG, actions committed with the intention to commit genocide is itself a crime, and not just the act of genocide].
It's clear that Canada's first Prime Minister Sir John A.
MacDonald's policy of starving First Nations to death in order to make way for the western expansion of European settlers meets the criteria of genocide under the CPPCG.
Similarly, the entire residential school system also passes the genocide test, in particular if you consider the fact that the Department of Indian Affairs, headed by Duncan Campbell Scott, deliberately ignored the recommendations of Peter Bryce, Canada's first Chief Medical Officer, regarding the spread of tuberculosis in the
schools. Such willful disregard for the basic principles of public health constitutes an act of genocide by omission, if not deliberate commission.
Finally, we have the very recent and painful memory of forced removal of First Nations children from their families by Indian Agents which occurred in the 1960's, also known by the popular
term "Sixties Scoop." This is an act of genocide that clearly meets the CPPCG test, and also fell outside of the residential school system.
We hold that until Canada as represented by its government engages in a national conversation about our historical treatment of the First Nations; until we come to grips with the fact that
we used racism, bigotry and discrimination as a tool to not only assimilate First Nations into the Canadian polity but engaged in a deliberate policy of genocide both cultural and physical,
we will never heal.
The fact that Canada's Aboriginal peoples have not been wiped out, and are indeed growing in numbers, is not proof that genocide never occurred, as some would have us believe. The historical and psychological reality of genocide among our Aboriginal communities is very much alive and a part of living memory. The sooner we recognize this truth, the sooner both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians will be able to heal from our shared traumas.
The materials gathered herein should give you the basis from which to form an opinion and hopefully urge authorities to begin the process of investigation, historical analysis and discussion.
The above letter was the introduction to a full submission of materials to Professor James Anaya pertaining to our conviction that Canadian policy over more than hundred years can be defined as a genocide of First Nations under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Our goal in presenting this material is to give you an historical framework and reference point to Professor Anaya's vital work as The UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous peoples.
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