Introduction:
Racism is a form of social injustice that arises from incorrect preconceived notions about race. The uneven distribution of resources is sometimes justified by appealing to the concept of societal value. Racism may manifest in several forms, enabling specific groups to assert their superiority and maintain control over political, social, and economic spheres. Canada is plagued by systemic racism, which profoundly penetrates several facets of society and disproportionately impacts Indigenous, Black, and other racialized people. A comprehensive understanding of systemic racism and its various expressions enables the identification of more effective strategies to rectify injustices and promote a fairer society.
Historical Context of Colonialism and Racism:
European sailors reached the shores of Canada in the 15th, 15th, and 16th centuries to be greeted with a colourful tapestry representing native inhabitants (Matheson et al., 2021). The early trade, alliances and cultural amalgamation between the European conquerors and natives took place. It set the scene for a crucial Canadian revolution. By originating in the seventeenth century, the fur trade affected many relationships that actually existed between French and British colonists and Indigenous peoples. Besides boosting trade and relationships, the fur business also brought about fatal sicknesses that wiped out Indigenous groups and continued to disrupt their cultures. European colonization strategies sought to dominate Indigenous territory, resulting in Canadian colonialism (Matheson et al., 2021). Terra nullius and discovery ideas gave European powers the legal ability to claim Indigenous land. Such actions prepared the ground for land alienation and indigenous cultural practices replacing European ones.
The British and other European powers entered into a treaty with Native tribes in the 18th through to early 19th century. However, these contracts were plagued by hostility and blackmailing coupled with a tussle for power. Natives sought the salvation of their lands’ integrity by joining the treaties, and homonymous compromises only resulted in loss rather than new invasions. The Canadian Pacific Railway also triggered a conflict between the Indigenous people and European settlers who moved westwards using this approach.
Consolidation of dominance over indigenous people came in the form of cultural integrity, land alienation and self-governance whereby, which was dictated by the Indian Act of 1876. Residential schools created in the late nineteenth century to assimilate native children into the Euro-Canadian lifestyle are another horrific part of Canadian history, associated with intergenerational grief and cultural genocide (Matheson et al., 2021). In the last century, legal and political progress has been achieved thanks to the brave attempts of indigenous people for their rights. Aboriginal rights were affirmed by Calder’s judgment in 1973 and also by many provisions of the Canadian constitution. However, even with these successes, property disputes and challenges of extracting resources remain among the current issues, but to a greater extent, there are still north-south socioeconomic inequalities. The Canadian residential schools, however, carried out by Christian groups with the consent of the state, were hell. In addition to this, the native language is done away with as well, just like their customs and traditions, leading to further psychological torment and cultural erasure.
These Indian establishments were only acknowledged after the 2008 Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In the 2015 final report of TRC, a total of 94 calls to action were presented that would undoubtedly make the Canadian government and society get involved in trying to address the effects of colonialization during reconciliation activities (Matheson et al., 2021). Nevertheless, modern circumstances stress the significance of eliminating systemic racism and healing. In fact, the location of natural resources in the Northern lands can impact economic and social development that includes unequal representation in the criminal justice system as well as availability to education or health care services, disclosing a range of factors influencing Canada’s path to equality together with ontology.
Levels of Racism in Canadian Society
Understanding the multifaceted nature of racism in Canada will mitigate its scope. Unconscious or conscious negative thoughts cause individual racism. Relationships at work, daily contact and racial targeting may encourage prejudice. Institutional racism relies on practices, not attitudes. These contracts make the racial inequality in housing, employment and education to be worse. In order to deal with these systemic biases that have become sunk into the management of each ethnic phase, there should be extensive scrutiny in institutional systems. Individual and institutional racism results in structural disadvantages suffered by some ethnic groups (Williams et al., 2022). Differences in Canadian income, education and job events reflect racial rankings. Structures of society that lead to inequality must be unthought-of, and a new way which encourages inclusiveness and equality should be adopted.
Apparitional and Cultural racism refer to entrenched forms of racism. Racial biases, Canadian media and society are influenced by white supremacy. To foster an inclusive society, there must be a change in public attitude and recognition of contributions from other populations. It is because systemic racism negatively impacts Canadian indigenous people. Forced assimilation and residential schools still have consequences. Officials belonging to the First Nations combine that reflection of poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing and food inadequacy. These problems, combined with unequal healthcare provision alongside overrepresentation in the criminal justice system and environmental racism, unveil systemic racism towards indigenous people.
Intersectionality and Internalized Racism
In Canada, racism and gender inequity continue to be the struggles that indigenous women face. Indigenous women are marginalized, which worsens domestic abuse, poverty, and lack of public services. The intersectional lens highlights the complexity of these issues. It signals that multiple solutions need to be found for all of the problems faced by indigenous women living within a racist environment. At the international and national level, addressing systemic racism is included in both Canadian human rights frameworks. Neither the Canadian Human Rights Act nor the Charter condones racial discrimination. The laws promote equality, and racial discrimination is forbidden. With this in mind, Canada has used international standards of human rights to curtail and mitigate cases of racial discrimination against Aboriginals through such legislation as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Williams et al., 2022). This law shows Canada’s willingness to fight structural racism and transform society into one that is egalitarian. Institutional racism must be done, and system settings must be rearranged through massive legislation. Educational actions doubt strong beliefs. Teaching Canadian colonial history and its connection to indigenous cultures could deepen that understanding. It is also necessary to have complete and direct sharing communication in order for this process of supporting the indigenous learning community to come out with accurate results. There is a need to create such a culture where discrimination due to prejudice would be regarded as what it truly represents; that is an ‘endemic pattern,’ and one could easily do away with the actions responsible for their occurrence.
Addressing Systemic Racism
Educational Initiatives
The need for educational reforms carries significant weight granted to the TRC’s Calls-to-Action, stressing on the inclusion of Indigenous backgrounds, perspectives and accomplishments in school. What is essential about Efimoff’s study (2023) is the fact that it underlines the need to identify and address historical and current forms of injustice. The inclusion of Indigenous material in teaching helps to understand Canada’s history more fully and accurately, thus building empathy and reconciliation. Studies on indigenous-based educational projects show that the use of such approaches is effective in empowering communities and saving cultural backgrounds (Efimoff & Starzyk, 2023). The success of projects like the First Nations University of Canada demonstrates how beneficial such developments can be due to investing resources into Indigenous education. This institution not only plays the role of transferring information but also helps in instilling a sense of high self-esteem and cultural identity.
Training in Cultural Competency
While the evidence-based practice approach for cultural competence training has yet to be universally established, studies such as those carried out by Sacco indicate that it can enhance knowledge and sensitivity. Research underpins the native view of convincing training materials or programs, which ensures that such content meets their needs and is applicable to them. It is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of cultural competence training through improved relationships between law enforcement officers, healthcare professionals and Indigenous communities, resulting in a trust-building process and cooperation (Efimoff & Starzyk, 2023). However, continuous evaluation is critical, and there are documented cases of effective changes after the feedback is obtained or due to changing social demands. For instance, in the case of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), there have been initiatives to ensure cultural competency development by its members, considering that assessment and improvement should be an ongoing practice.
Collaborative Decision-Making
The recommendations of several publications, including the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, have emphasized that Indigenous representation in decision-making bodies is an essential factor. Recommendations highlight that it is necessary to ensure the inclusion of Indigenous representatives in both government and organizational settings so that policies can be responsive to a range of perspectives. As for the use of Indigenous advisors, only implementation shows some promise regarding the creation of meaningful discussion. An example of collaborative decision-making that respects the orientation viewpoint from an indigenous perspective is the inclusion of native modes in contributing to the United Nations Declaration on Rights for Distributed Peoples.
Policy Reforms
The massive influence of existing policies on Indigenous communities makes the need for policy improvements self-evident. Various reports like those of the Auditor General have sufficiently detailed problems, including over-policing, unjust child welfare policies and a lack of healthcare. However, the presence of Indigenous peoples in prison populations and distressing outcomes with respect to child welfare matters underline an organizational crisis that must be addressed immediately (Efimoff & Starzyk, 2023). If the reform initiatives are to succeed, guided by active participation as well as engagement with Indigenous populations should be facilitated in order to ensure that policies would initiate and direct inequitably acceptable approaches. In turn, empirical approaches recommended by human rights groups support the need for significant changes to address structural issues that currently exist in policing, child safety agenda and health.
Community Empowerment
It is well-attested that the socioeconomic inequalities suffered by Indigenous people are emphasized in various publications to understand shortfalls faced with economic advancement, inequality provision of education, and health care. The success in the use of community-driven initiatives, such as that witnessed by the First Nations Health Authority around British Columbia, is a practical manifestation of the positive impact accruing from granting indigenous communities authority on governance functions about healthcare (Efimoff & Starzyk, 2023). Empowerment is closely related to recognizing the right of Indigenous nations to self-governance. Studies indicate that the likelihood of being able to address local needs and achieve self-government is increased where communities have control over policy formulation and implementation.
Conclusion
Systematic bias against the culture of Indigenous people in Canada requires individual, institutional and social attempts. Knowledge of the pathology and symptoms peculiar to systemic racism can aid in healing wrongs and constructing an egalitarian society. In order to put an end to all racialized peoples in Canada, especially the Indigenous People and Black people, we have to be listened to so that we can deconstruct those systems of oppression. The only way that Canada can attain citizenship free from systemic racism is through a continuous and structural change process.
References
Efimoff, I. H., & Starzyk, K. B. (2023). The impact of education about historical and current injustices, individual racism and systemic racism on anti‐Indigenous racism. European Journal of Social Psychology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ejsp.2987
Matheson, K., Pierre, A., Foster, M. D., Kent, M., & Anisman, H. (2021). Untangling racism: Stress reactions in response to variations of racism against Black Canadians. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(1), 1-12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-021-00711-2
Williams, M. T., Khanna Roy, A., MacIntyre, M. P., & Faber, S. (2022). The traumatizing impact of racism in Canadians of colour. Current trauma reports, 8(2), 17-34. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40719-022-00225-5
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