1969 White Paper facts for kids

The 1969 White Paper was a plan from the Government of Canada about First Nations people. It was officially called the Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien, introduced this plan in 1969.

The White Paper suggested getting rid of all old laws and agreements related to First Nations. This included the Indian Act and all existing treaties. The main idea was to make First Nations people the same as all other Canadian citizens. However, many First Nations people strongly disagreed with this plan. Because of their protests, the government officially took back the White Paper in 1970.

The White Paper wanted to end Indian status. This status gave First Nations people certain rights and protections. The government believed that ending Indian status would give Indigenous people full rights as citizens. It would also make them part of provincial government services, just like other Canadians. The plan also suggested getting rid of reserves and making reserve land private property. Any special programs for First Nations people would stop. The government thought these special programs kept Indigenous people separate from other Canadians.

Why the White Paper Was Created

After fighting in the First and Second World Wars, First Nations people wanted better lives in Canada. In 1945, the government ended the pass system. For 60 years, this system stopped First Nations people from leaving their reserves without special permission. With more freedom, they could get more involved in Canadian society.

In 1946, a special committee was formed to look at the Indian Act of 1876. In 1959, First Nations people with status were finally allowed to vote in Canadian elections. (Those without status could vote since 1876).

Rising Calls for Change

By the late 1950s and 1960s, First Nations communities saw a rise in activism. People wanted to improve their living conditions. A journalist named Peter Gzowski wrote an article in 1963 called "Our Alabama." It talked about how First Nations people faced unfair treatment.

Inspired by civil rights movements in other countries, a "Red Power" movement grew in Canada. Activists spoke out against the poor conditions many First Nations people lived in. They wanted strong action to achieve their goals.

In 1963, the government asked a researcher named Harry B. Hawthorn to study the lives of First Nations people. His 1966 report found that Indigenous people were the most disadvantaged group in Canada. He called them "citizens minus." Hawthorn said this was because of bad government policies, like the Indian residential schools. He suggested that forced assimilation programs should end. Instead, he said Indigenous people should be seen as "citizens plus." This meant they should have special opportunities and resources to control their own futures.

Trudeau's "Just Society"

In 1968, Pierre Trudeau became Prime Minister. His goal was to create a "Just Society" in Canada. As part of this, Jean Chrétien, the Minister of Indian Affairs, started looking at changing the Indian Act. The government talked with Aboriginal communities across Canada to get their ideas.

In 1969, a TV show showed the poverty on reserves in northern Saskatchewan. It compared them to poor areas in the United States. This brought more public attention to the issues faced by First Nations people.

In May 1969, the government met with First Nations leaders in Ottawa. They heard concerns about treaty rights, land rights, self-determination, education, and health care. After these talks, Chrétien presented the White Paper to the House of Commons on June 25, 1969.

Trudeau believed that individual rights were more important than group rights. He saw the Indian Act as unfair because it treated one group of Canadians differently. He thought getting rid of it would make everyone equal.

What the White Paper Proposed

Trudeau and Chrétien presented the White Paper as a way to solve First Nations issues. They argued that existing laws for Indigenous peoples were unfair because they didn't apply to other Canadians.

The paper proposed to:

• End Indian status as a special legal status in Canada.
• Make First Nations people equal to other Canadians by giving them full citizenship rights.
• Remove all special programs for Indigenous peoples.
• Close the Department of Indian Affairs within five years.
• End the reserve system and turn reserve land into private property. This land could then be sold.
• Create a $50 million fund to help with economic development. This would also make up for ending treaties and the Indian Act.
• Appoint someone to look into land claims by First Nations and end treaties.
• Move responsibility for Aboriginal affairs from the federal government to the provinces. Services would slowly become the same as those for other Canadians.

The White Paper claimed these changes would save money for the government. It also said ending Indian status would allow Indigenous people to be "free" and develop their cultures in a fair and equal way.

What Happened Next

At first, the government defended the White Paper. On August 8, 1969, Trudeau said that one part of society shouldn't have a treaty with another part. He also said that society couldn't be built on "what might have been" in history.

In June 1970, leaders from the National Indian Brotherhood met in Ottawa. They created their own response called the "Red Paper." On June 4, they met with the government cabinet. They showed the White Paper and the Red Paper. They symbolically rejected the White Paper by placing it in front of Chrétien. They gave the Red Paper to Trudeau.

To many people's surprise, Trudeau admitted the White Paper was a failure. He said, "We had perhaps the prejudices of small 'l' liberals and white men at that who thought that equality meant the same law for everybody."

By July 1970, the government had stopped supporting the White Paper's ideas. Trudeau officially withdrew the proposal in 1970. However, Indigenous activism continued to grow.

Lasting Impact

In 1973, a major court case called Calder v. British Columbia happened. The Supreme Court of Canada recognized Aboriginal title in Canadian law for the first time. This meant that Indigenous people had rights to their land long before Europeans arrived. This case helped lead to the Nisga'a Treaty in 2000, which allowed the Nisga'a people to govern themselves.

Because of the strong opposition to the White Paper, Indigenous and treaty rights were recognized in Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982. This was a big step. However, many people still feel that the ideas behind the White Paper, like assimilation, are still present in government goals.

On February 23, 2014, the Liberal Party of Canada officially regretted the 1969 White Paper. They saw this as a step towards making things right with First Nations people.

Changes After the White Paper

After the White Paper was withdrawn, First Nations people became more involved in politics. Public awareness of Indigenous issues also grew. This led to more experienced Indigenous leaders working with the government.

Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 now protects existing Indigenous treaty rights. Indian Status now includes all First Nations peoples, as well as Inuit and Métis. However, this section still has some unclear parts, which Indigenous leaders continue to discuss.

In 1985, the Indian Act was changed. A key part called "enfranchisement" was removed. This part had caused many people to lose their Indian Status and band membership. The changes allowed people to get their status back. They also allowed bands to control their own membership rules.

Since the 1960s, Indigenous communities had been taking on more of their own administration. But there were still questions about how power was shared. In 1983, a report suggested that Indigenous communities should be able to create their own governments. These governments would work outside of federal and provincial control.

As of January 2015, three self-governance agreements have been made. Also, 26 land claims have been settled by the federal government.

Under Justin Trudeau's government, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People was replaced by two new departments: Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. Indigenous Services works to improve services for Indigenous peoples. The goal is for Indigenous communities to eventually manage these services themselves. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs handles issues like treaty rights and self-governance. The government says these departments are steps towards eventually ending the Indian Act.