05) THE PAST IS THE PRESENT

People's Voice Editorial

            The revelations that Canadian scientists deprived Aboriginal children of milk and other nutrients during the 1940s and '50s is further confirmation that the term "genocide" is quite appropriate to describe the origins of Canada. For decades, the strategy of the Canadian state was to eliminate the national identities of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples, with the aim of creating a uniformly "European" population. Various tactics were employed for this racist policy: the reservation system (essentially the theft of First Nations lands), residential schools ("taking the Indian out of the child"), the potlach ban, etc.

            Those who naively argue that these policies are just "history" should think again. Many First Nations languages are disappearing, in part due to government refusal to provide financial support to save this invaluable cultural heritage. Aboriginal children suffer the highest poverty rates in Canada, leaving many suffering from hunger decades after the criminal "experiments" of the post-war years. The videotaped brutal beating of an Innu man by two Quebec police officers is a new reminder that state violence against Aboriginal people is still frequent. Attempts by governments and energy corporations to bribe and bully First Nations into allowing tar sands pipelines across their territories shows that the great land theft of previous centuries continues today.

            The national oppression of the First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples is not a relic of the past, but an defining feature of the Canadian colonial state. Instead of issuing more phony, paternalistic apologies and promises, Canada must move towards a new, equal and voluntary partnership, freely negotiated by the Aboriginal peoples. Quebec and English-speaking Canada, including the right of all nations to full self‑determination.

(The above article is from the August 1-31, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)