Aboriginal and Northern Issues in Canadian Society - Essay Example

Aboriginal and Northern Issues in Canadian Society The aboriginal population in the northern Canadian Society is a representation of the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population. Currently, the Inuits and the Métis people want to regain back their rights by rebuilding their communities and revitalizing their culture. Additionally, they are also keen in increasing their share in Canada, which is now one of the most prosperous countries in the world (Simeone, 2011). In colonization history and the past government, policies have negatively affected the aboriginal communities in the Northwest of the country. The past governments leading to its poor social, educational, and health outcomes in relation to their Aboriginal Canadian citizens have sidelined the Northwest region (Simeone, 2011). Despite the little improvements in the Northwest Region, more still needs to be done so that the Aboriginal Canadians also enjoy good standards of living like the other Canadian citizens. According to the 2006 Census, 3.8% of the Canadian population was made of the Aboriginal communities (Simeone, 2011). Amongst these communities, the Indians make the largest percentage of 60%. Furthermore, Canadas Northwest Aboriginal population is growing faster than the nonaboriginal population (Simeone, 2011). Moreover, from 1996-2006 there was almost 45% increase of the aboriginal population in Canada (Simeone, 2011). Despite the various gains in sectors of education, employment, and income in the past decade, the aboriginal population in Canada still lags behind on those sectors. In Northwest region, Inuits fare worse on a variety of economic indicators when compared to the Metis. Some of the social and economic challenges that face the region include poor prevalence on health issues in the region, unemployment, and low income and educational levels. The Northwest region in Canada has been a topic of concern with its increasing gas and oil development in the region. The political situation in the region has been high with the local communities and non-governmental organizations raising their concerns on the need to protect the environment (Cain and Ken, 2013). Additionally, the Aboriginal communities in the region often experience a dynamic political and social, cultural response. The politics of the region are concerned with the ultimate protection of various cultural landscapes in the Northwest region. Furthermore, the government has consistently negotiated with the community leaders through the government resource managers towards amicable solutions that could lead to environmental protection and more resource allocation to the region. The critical issue in the Northwest region of Canada is the issue of poverty. Therefore, the government should apply the following prospects to improve the living conditions of the region and to eradicate poverty. The prospects that the government should feature on include the issues of human rights, income support, housing, education, early childhood education and care, healthcare, unemployment, and community building. On matters related to the human rights, the government should ensure that there is no discrimination by promoting the social and the economic status of the inhabitants in the region. Additionally, there has been an improvement in the region. The government has provided the income support for the communities living in the region to become self-reliant on matters of food security. The region has the biggest gaps between the rich and the poor and, therefore, by the government providing income support to the region it aims at narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor (Canada Without poverty, 2012). The issue of housing is also a major concern in the region whereby the territorial government has poorly addressed the issue of housing and majority of people in the region are homeless (Canada Without poverty, 2012). Despite the increase of the territorial government funding on housing units in the region, more still needs to be done to uplift the living standards of the people in the region. In education, the program that was developed by the department of education, Culture and employment has realized success in improved lives in the local people and a more prosperous society. The high living costs in the Northwest region has forced many women to work making early childhood education and care a critical issue in the region (Canada Without poverty, 2012). However, there are prospects on improvement in the sector because the government has rolled out programs by providing subsidies on childcare centers. Another encouraging issue in the Northwest region is the issue of unemployment. The Northwest people are amongst the richest people Canada. In 2011, over 70% of people aged above 15 years of age were employed which is commendable. The Northwest Territory is important to the rest of the country in that the territory is rich in minerals like diamond. The region has been lauded by businesses and the state the major source of income for the Northern economy and the rest of Canada. Additionally, diamond mining in the region is a major foreign income earner for Canada from international trade (Hall and Rebecca, 2013). In the microanalysis of the diamond mining in the region, the economic activity is the major GDP boom for the NWT economy. The mining industry has created thousands of jobs attracting employment opportunities for various communities across the country. Moreover, diamond mining in the Northwest Territories is important to the rest of the country in that it has been a main economic boost for the economy of the country for many years (Hall and Rebecca, 2013). In conclusion, the aboriginal and northern issues of the Canadian society have a long history since the colonization period. The regions aboriginal communities have been sidelined for a number of years and have been exposed to various injustices by the successful governments since independence. The regions development agenda had been widely ignored leading to severe poverty in the region. Despite the region richness in diamond mines, the local communities have nothing to smile. Their human rights have been widely violated, poor education infrastructure, poor housing, poor healthcare, and unemployment. As a result of a political revolution and self governance, the region is now coming back to track through its efforts to eradicate poverty, by proving employment opportunities, good healthcare services, good education, and community building capacities with the aim of eradicating poverty. Additionally, the region is the critical pillar to the rest of the country because it is the main diamond producer in the country. Diamond mining has created thousands of jobs that have attracted people from all over of the country to the region. Moreover, the living standards of the aboriginal people of the Northwest Territories by lowering the poverty levels in the region. Since Canada is one of the leading exporters of diamond, therefore, the Northwest Territory is the main economic hub. References Caine, Ken J. 2013. Bourdieu in the North: Practical Understanding in Natural Resource Governance. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 38(3), 333-358. Canada Without povert. (2012). Northwest territories Poverty progress profile. Posted May 2012. Retrieved on 22nd October 2013 from http://www.cwp-csp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/NT-Poverty-Progress-Profile-Final-May-20121.pdf. Hall and Rebecca. (2013). Diamond Mining in Canada’s Northwest Territories. 45(2),376-393. Retrieved on 22 October 2014 from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=22bd397d-38fa-47ad-b320-ecaf3182ae30%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=85340448. Simeone, T. (2011). Primer on Aboriginal Issues. Social, Health and Cultural Affairs Section Parliamentary Information and Research Service. Retrieved on 22 October 2014 from http://carolynbennett.liberal.ca/files/2010/07/Primer-on-Aboriginal-Issues_EN.pdf. Read More