Key Events in Canadian History: White Paper, Residential Schools, October Crisis

Posted on Mar 21, 2025 in Law & Jurisprudence

Key Events in Canadian History

White Paper, 1969

The 1969 White Paper, unveiled by Trudeau and Jean Chrétien, proposed ending the special legal relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian state and dismantling the Indian Act.

  • It was an attempt to address the systemic inequalities between Indigenous peoples and settlers.
  • The plan proposed replacing the Indian Act.
  • The federal government intended to achieve equality among all Canadians by eliminating Indian status as a distinct legal status and by regarding Aboriginal peoples simply as citizens with the same rights, opportunities, and responsibilities as other Canadians.
  • The paper stated that removing the unique legal status established by the Indian Act would “enable the Indian people to be free to develop Indian cultures in an environment of legal, social and economic equality with other Canadians.”

White Paper Proposals:

  • Eliminate Indian status, providing funding for economic development and converting reserve land to private property that can be sold by the band or its members.
  • Reserve land would be transferred to the Bands, and residents would be subject to provincial and territorial laws that apply to settler Canadians.
  • Aboriginal peoples would receive the same services, both provincial and federal.

Impact of Residential Schools on First Nations

Residential schools were isolated institutions where Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families, homes, and cultures.

  • Children were forced to adapt to white society.
  • The schools were run by the Roman Catholic Church, and children were often separated by gender.
  • They were forced to learn English or French.
  • Residential schools were run and operated by non-Aboriginals and resulted in so much abuse that Canada has apologized for their history.
  • The goal was to educate and convert Aboriginal youth and to integrate them into Canadian society.

Direct Impacts on Survivors:

  • Issues pertaining to identity, culture, and parenting have created conflicts and unresolved anger.
  • Trauma from sudden separation from parents and family, leaving behind the familiar world in which they had been raised, children suddenly found themselves far from home, confronting a new culture, language, and role expectations.
  • Nightmares, depression, and stress disorders were common.
  • Many found it difficult to relate to others, were less loving, fearful of being touched, and more likely to resort to violence or misdirect their anger towards loved ones.
  • Low self-esteem, feeling alienated from parents/communities, and ashamed of their Aboriginal heritage were prevalent, often consumed by anger and guilt.
  • Parents were forced to accept their child’s removal from home under threat of legal action.
  • They were devastated by separation, especially when they knew their child was likely to experience abusive treatment.
  • Lack of contact with children meant that when children became sick and died, parents were often not notified until the child failed to return home.
  • Survivors often showed difficulty showing affection to their children and used harsh discipline methods.
  • There was a significant loss of connectedness with Aboriginal languages and traditions.

October Crisis

The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) during October 1970 in Quebec.

  • The FLQ abducted British trade commissioner James Cross and threatened to assassinate him unless 23 prison inmates charged in relation to the FLQ were released.
  • The crisis escalated when the FLQ abducted Pierre Laporte.
  • James Cross was eventually released after being held hostage for 2 months.
  • Trudeau introduced the War Measures Act, giving authorities more power and detention capabilities to take down the FLQ.
  • The War Measures Act suspended basic civil rights and liberties and allowed random police searches and arrests without warrants.
  • After the Act was announced, the police arrested approximately 400 people.
  • The steps taken under the War Measures Act remain a symbol of the country’s delicate relationship to civil liberties and human rights.

Significance:

  • The Act created a military state where the federal government, the police, and the military had complete control.
  • Authorities were able to arrest and detain people without explanation and were allowed to search residences without warrants.
  • The WMA led to the creation of the Emergencies Act.