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1763 Royal Proclamation
is a document that set out guidelines for European settlement of Aboriginal territories in what is now North America. -
1830 Reserve System
Aboriginal peoples were seen as blocking future settlement of British North America and, as a result, were pushed on to reservations. Sizes of the reserves were greatly reduced from previous occupied territories. Living conditions on reserves are lower than the rest of Canada, life expectancy is lower, suicide rates are higher and money is controlled by the Chief and councils who do not always allocate money wisely or fairly. -
1876 Indian Act
which was enacted in 1876 and has since been amended, allows the government to control most aspects of aboriginal life: Indian status, land, resources, wills, education, band administration and so on. -
1960 Aboriginal Right to Universal Suffrage
Voting is a hallmark of Canadian citizenship, but not all Indigenous groups (particularly status Indians) have been given this historic right due to political, socio-economic and ethnic restrictions. -
1968 National Indian Brotherhood & Native Council of Canada Formed
The aims of the organization are to protect and advance the aboriginal and treaty rights and interests of First Nations in Canada, including health, education, culture and language. -
1969 Residential School System Abolished But Not All Closed
In 1969, the system was taken over by the Department of Indian Affairs, ending church involvement. The government decided to phase out the schools, but this met with resistance from the Catholic Church, which felt that segregated education was the best approach for Indigenous children. -
1969 White Paper
was a Canadian government policy paper that attempted to abolish previous legal documents pertaining to Indigenous peoples in Canada, including the Indian Act and treaties, and assimilate all “Indian” peoples under the Canadian state. -
1980s Movement Toward Self Government
Indigenous self-government is the formal structure through which Indigenous communities may control the administration of their people, land, resources and related programs and policies, through agreements with federal and provincial governments. -
Assembly of the First Nations
is an assembly, modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, of First Nations represented by their chiefs. It emerged from and replaced the Canadian National Indian Brotherhood. -
1985 Passing of Bill C-31
Bill C-31, or a Bill to Amend the Indian Act, passed into law in April 1985 to bring the Indian Act into line with gender equality under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. -
Meech Lake
Support for the Accord began to decline. Changes in government in New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Newfoundland brought to power governments that declined to accept the Accord. Further negotiations were conducted but tension increased between Quebec and the predominantly English-speaking provinces. -
Oka Stand-Off
The Oka Crisis was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada, which began on July 11, 1990, and lasted 78 days until September 26, 1990 with one fatality. -
Nisga'a Treaty 1992-1998
is a treaty that was settled between the Nisg̱a'a, the government of British Columbia, and the Government of Canada that was signed on 27 May 1998 and came into effect on May 11 2000. -
Ipperwash Ontario
The Ipperwash Crisis was a dispute over Indigenous land that took place in Ipperwash Provincial Park, Ontario, in 1995. -
Gustafsen Lake BC
The Gustafsen Lake standoff was a confrontation between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ts'peten Defenders in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, at Gustafsen Lake. -
1998 Delgamuukw Case
concerned the definition, the content and the extent of Aboriginal title (example, ownership of traditional lands). -
Statement of Reconciliation Issued In 1998
The Canadian government issued a "Statement of Reconciliation" contained within a document entitled Gathering Strength – Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan. -
1999 Creation of Nunavut
Nunavut separated from the Northwest Territories to become the newest Canadian territory. The creation of Nunavut was the outcome of the largest aboriginal land claims agreement between the Canadian government and the native Inuit people.
