Abstract:

South Africa's notorious apartheid policy has become an easily identifiable analogy for countries where indigenous populations have been dispossessed of their land and their traditional social structures destroyed. The question "Is this apartheid?" challenges the historical validity of parallels drawn between Canada's native policies and apartheid. The "civilizing" missions of European intruders on the shores of what were to become Canada and South Africa followed distinctive paths in their relationship with indigenous populations. While slavery and wars of conquest paved the way for racial conflict in Southern Africa, mutual cooperation epitomized aboriginal relations in colonial Canada. While reserves in Canada were designed to prepare indigenous people for assimilation into the dominant society, South African reserves became reservoirs of cheap African labour under the National Party's apartheid government which came to power in 1948. The years 1960-1982 marked a critical period in the history of both Canada and South Africa. First Nations communities renewed assertions of aboriginal land rights and self-government. Unlike native Canadians, who asserted their aboriginal and treaty rights within the democratic and constitutional structures of Canada, African resistance repudiated the legitimacy of the apartheid government and fought for the fundamental right of all South Africans to democracy and for an integrated, non-racial state. Three core characteristics of apartheid (the lack of labour rights, the lack of democratic rights and the lack of freedom of association) provide the criteria in addressing the question "Is this apartheid?" The conclusions are clear: while Canada's First Nations have been seriously disadvantaged by paternalism, assimilationist policies and injustice, they have not experienced apartheid. Government policies and aboriginal problems are not addressed by equating Canada with apartheid South Africa. They are Canadian problems with Canadian solutions. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)