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= Canada’s Colonial Legacy = Canada’s colonial legacy covers a long timeline beginning with the creation of the colonial agenda to the present day trauma and barriers that Indigenous peoples are burdened with. Indigenous peoples of Canada are among the most disadvantaged peoples in the nation, these disadvantages stem from Canada’s colonial legacy. Canadian colonization persists through the narrative that surrounds Indigenous peoples to this day and through the colonial process that surpasses the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada. Canada's colonial agenda and legacy has impacted the lives of Indigenous people through various forms.

Colonization in Canada
The colonial agenda was present before the colonization of Canada, as the Doctrine of Discovery was introduced that would work to dehumanize Indigenous peoples. The domination and dehumanization of Indigenous peoples by the Doctrine of Discovery persists today. The Doctrine of Discovery was created to fulfill the interests that colonial countries were eager to gain control of.

Indigenous land in Canada was deemed as terra nullius as colonial officials regarded Indigenous nations and the utilization of land as uncivilized, therefore empty. Due to the nature behind terra nullius, the narrative regarding Indigenous peoples shifted as they were Othered through the discourse that privileged the colonizers, and disadvantaged the Indigenous peoples. The narrative of Indigenous peoples that began alongside colonialism continues in society today.

An example of the stigma that surrounded Indigenous peoples in history is the creation of the Indian Residential School System. The residential schools were built on the notion of eurocentrism and the white saviour complex, wherein Indigenous communities were considered a setback in the assimilation process. Duncan Campbell Scott, the deputy superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs, had run the residential schools at its peak and stated that the schools were the solution to the “Indian Problem” as Scott referred to it as. Various forms of abuse were utilized by the schools officials which has created toxic cycles in many Indigenous communities.

The Indian Act created in 1876 had outlawed Indigenous ceremonies, which is a vital aspect of the Indigenous identity. Reserves were constructed to restrict the livelihood of Indigenous people which resulted in Indigenous peoples to become dependent on the Canadian government. Indigenous peoples were banned to leave their reserves without a pass according to the pass system that was introduced after the 1885 resistance.

The colonial legacy had incorporated patriarchal ideals and methods into Canadian society through the transmission of knowledge that was offered by the colonizers whom were exposed to patriarchy in their own nations. Indigenous women in specific were discriminated against as the Indian Act implemented the loss of status for Indigenous women who married non-Indigenous men; However, this section of the act did not impact the men who married non-Indigenous women.

Canada's colonial legacy today
Indigenous peoples today are in a continuous cycle of harm through violence, low health factors, low socioeconomic status, and other social and economic conditions that stem from Canada’s colonial legacy. The colonial agenda had burdened the lives of not only Indigenous communities, but it also created a damage for those non-Indigenous peoples in Canada as the nation to nation relationship, between Indigenous peoples and Canada, was broken.

There are various treaties made across Canada between Indigenous peoples and colonial officials, historically and continuously treaties have been neglected, the “treaty relationship” remains. The concept of terra nullius was declined, therefore agreements were to be made between Indigenous peoples and colonial officials with rights granted to each signing party. However, oftentimes throughout the treaty making process both, the communication and translations were insufficient, which resulted in two contradicting views on treaty today.

Racism, created through colonization, caused a divide between Indigenous peoples and their native languages, cultural ties, and cultural beliefs in result Indigenous peoples are deprived from various facets of their lives. The balance and lifestyles established prior to colonization were destroyed through the colonial process which continues to disrupt the lives and identities of Indigenous peoples to this day.

The impacts of the Indian Residential School system created a plague in Indigenous communities through the form of intergenerational trauma as there a consistent challenges Indigenous peoples are faced with, such as abuse and addictions. Cycles of abuse that began in the residential schools persist and continue to burden the lives of Indigenous peoples as they remain underdeveloped, in comparison with the wider Canada.

The foundation of intergenerational trauma is covertly obscured through the narrative that clouds the perspectives of non-Indigenous peoples that insist on racial stereotypes and tropes to understand the disadvantage that Indigenous people face; however Indigenous systems and values were historically considered and treated with insignificance, shifting the lives of Indigenous peoples. Many government agencies raise concerns about the status of Indigenous peoples in Canada, despite Canadian efforts to get involved, Indigenous peoples remain trapped in the cycles of disparity.

The colonial legacy posits itself through Canadian institutions wherein Indigenous peoples are placed at a disadvantage due to cultural differences, and attitudes. The Canadian Criminal Justice system, for example, is one of the Canadian institutions that highly impacts Indigenous populations in Canada. The CJS is founded on colonial ideals that are irrelevant to Indigenous peoples and communities therefore creating barriers in understanding and systemic racism. Systemic racism is embedded into various significant institutions due to the foundations of the colonial legacy.

The colonial legacy dismantled Indigenous cultures and traditions and attempted to replace it with Western paradigms, this included gender roles and perspectives. In early history, due to their intersectionality as being both Indigenous and a woman, Indigenous women were distinctly subjugated on the basis of both their gender and race. Even between Indigenous women and men, there are gaps that prevail to suggest that due to their gender, Indigenous women face more inequities than their male counterparts. Across Canada, Indigenous women are still faced with the racism, sexism and prejudice that stem from the colonial legacy, henceforth placing them apart of dangerous cycle of poverty and thus disadvantage.