Page 274 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

Grade 12, University/College Preparation
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
factors that led to the initiation of research and negotiations that ultimately resulted in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement?”
B2. Legislation
By the end of this course, students will:
B2.1 explain the motivation for and impact on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities of key pieces of colonial legislation, including the Royal Proclamation of 1763 (e.g., the Quebec Act, 1774; the Crown Lands Protection Act, 1839; the Gradual Civilization Act, 1857; the Management of Indian Lands and Property Act [Indian Land Act], 1860; the British North America Act [BNA Act], 1867)
Sample questions: “What criteria would you use to determine the significance of the Royal Proclamation for First Nations individuals and communities at the time?” “What are some of the factors that helped shape British colonial legislation related to First Nations? In your opinion, were these laws developed in good faith? What evidence supports your answer?” “What was the significance of the BNA Act’s giving the new federal government jurisdiction over ‘Indians and lands reserved for the Indians’?”
B2.2 describe key federal legislation in Canada prior to the 1960s that was of relevance to
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals
and communities, with reference to both its motivation and content (e.g., the recognition
of Métis rights in the Manitoba Act, 1870; the colonization of the West under the Dominion Lands Act, 1872; the social and political beliefs that underpinned the Indian Act of 1876; the power granted Indian agents under the Indian Act; the requirement under the 1920 Indian Act that First Nations children attend residential schools; the 1924 amendment of the Indian Act to include Inuit; the 1951 amendment to the Indian Act to exclude Inuit)
Sample questions: “What were some of the factors that shaped the Manitoba Act’s provisions with respect to Métis?” “What attitudes and aims underpinned the original Indian Act? How were these aims reflected in the content of the act? Do you think that amendments to that act reflect any changes in these attitudes and aims? Why, or why not?”
B2.3 assess the impact that federal legislation in Canada had on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities prior to the 1960s (e.g., the impact of the Indian Act, including its requirement for children to attend residential
schools, its criteria for who was – and was not – a “status Indian”and for losing status – for instance, on completion of postsecondary education or military service or, for women, on marrying a non-status man; the impact of the Canadian Bill of Rights, 1960, on the rights of“Indians”)
Sample questions: “What aspects of life did the original Indian Act affect? What were some of its major amendments? How did these amend- ments compound the disadvantages faced by First Nations communities? Which amendments do you think had the greatest impact? Why?”
B3. Political Relations
By the end of this course, students will:
B3.1 identify various factors that affected the political relationship between Indigenous peoples and colonial, federal, and/or provincial/ territorial governments in Canada prior to 1980, and explain their impact (e.g., with reference
to the need for allies in colonial wars; increased colonization; the desire of the federal government to assert its authority; paternalistic attitudes
of lawmakers; hardship resulting from highly restrictive and disruptive legislation)
Sample questions: “In what ways did the expansion of settlement in western Canada influence both the policies of the federal government towards First Nations and Métis and the response of First Nations and Métis
to these policies?” “What was the federal government’s Métis scrip policy in the nineteenth century? How did this policy affect relations between Métis and the government?” “In what ways did differing ideas about land use and property ownership affect relations between Indigenous peoples and governments in Canada?” “How and why did the treatment
of Métis by governments differ from province to province?”
B3.2 describe some decisions of the judicial
branch of the government that were related to Aboriginal rights and title prior to 1980 (e.g., St Catherine’s Milling and Lumber Co. v. the Queen, 1889; Re Eskimo, 1939; Calder v. British Columbia, 1973; Hamlet of Baker Lake v. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1979), and analyse how they affected relations between governments and Indigenous peoples
Sample questions: “What was the key finding in the Calder case? In what ways did this decision influence how the federal government approached the issue of First Nations and Métis
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