Means to learn
Not too long ago, I spoke at a community meeting about how public health services are not accessible to those who are poor, and even less accessible to Aboriginal people, specifically status Indians. There’s this ongoing myth that people living on reserves have more rights, but the truth is, we are still governed by the Indian Act, both on and off reserve. When we’re off reserve, we are seen as less Indian and have fewer rights. We talk about self-determination, but that self-determination is often dictated by Canadian courts and the government. Our identity as a people is defined by the government, unlike other groups—Chinese are considered Chinese, Asians are seen as Asians, and French people are just that. But for us, our identity is tied to the Indian Act. Even though we are granted some human rights, the reality is that we still don’t fully experience them. Any changes to the Indian Act have to go through the courts, and only a limited number of Aboriginal cases can be heard at a ...