The Red Paper
The Red Paper, also titled "Citizens Plus," is a policy proposal put forward by the Indian Association of Alberta (IAA) in 1970 under the leadership of Cree political leader Harold Cardinal.
With plans and ambitions for westward expansion, the Dominion of Canada entered negotiations with the Indigenous peoples who would tend for the land.
The residential schools play an important part in understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, as one must approach this study from the idea that the past informs the present.
[4] The schools were initially set up to assimilate Indigenous Youth with what was considered mainstream culture, however, they had a whole plethora of negative impacts on communities.
[5] Some of the negative impacts experienced by the children forced into the system included "harsh discipline, malnutrition, poor healthcare, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglection, and the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages".
[6] When looking at the historical background of the White Paper, one must understand the trauma and the subjugation inflicted on generations of Indigenous Peoples, and how this history was still on-going at the time.
The civil rights movements in the United States of America brought the subjugation of minorities to the forefront of public consciousness.
Based on his findings, Hawthorn concluded that Indigenous Peoples were "citizens minus" and cited various failures in governance as reasons for the unequal social conditions.
[7] Based on the report, the government decided to engage in consultation with various Indigenous Communities, and proceeded to amend the Indian Act.
[7] Based on the findings of the Hawthorn report, in conjunction with the various discussions that they federal government had with Indigenous Nations, the White Paper was written.
[2] The response in the Citizens Plus document simply rejects this, believing that the promise of "enriched services" are merely bribes by the federal government to accept the rest of the policy which will result in further division of Indigenous people.
While the Red Paper believed there to be issues with the Indian Affairs Branch, they argue that it should be changed in accordance to the needs of Indigenous peoples, providing direct access to the federal government.
Subsequently intertwined within the many rejections of the White Paper, the Citizen's Plus (1970) also lists a plethora of ideas and recommendations intended to help effect productive change in Canadian Indian Policy.
"[1] In this section the Red Paper also advocates for the usefulness of Indigenous presence in Canada, clearly stating how "Everyone should recognize that Indians have contributed much to the Canadian community.
Stated in the Red Paper are two distinct "Immediate Requirements" necessary of the Government of Canada: Appointing a Minister of Indian Affairs and Recognizing and Modernizing the Numbered Treaties.
The Red paper suggests the best way to advocate for proper economic development that would directly benefit Indigenous peoples has to do with the increased trust and implementation of Local Governments in the municipal Tribal Government System - where municipal law and politics are subject to be handled according to the system that best suits the Tribe.
"[8] The White Paper was officially withdrawn in 1973 as marked by the Supreme Court Case Calder v British Columbia, in which Canadian law acknowledged that aboriginal title to land existed prior to the colonization of North America for the first time.
