RE: Cuts negatively effect Indigenous students, Oct.16-22.
Within the Canadian context, there are two popular narratives that exist when relating to Indigenous peoples.
The first is the “uncivilized savage”—a term used when Indigenous worldviews collide with that of colonial nation-building projects. The second is Indigenous people as a “dying breed”—a notion that has existed since the 19th century that implies the Indigenous people of North America, unable to cope with the fast-paced changes brought with Western expansion, will soon be wiped out.
This second concept has been the foundation for “humanitarian efforts” to save Indigenous people. Many times throughout history this has come with unexpected dire consequences, for example the creation of the Indian residential school system in Canada.
An Oct. 16 article published in the Charlatan attempts to create a causal link between Indigenous suicide rates and the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) budget cuts. But this only adds to the “dying breed” narrative and does little to help repair the relationship between First Nation, Métis, and Inuit, and the rest of the Carleton University, let alone Canadian society.
I will focus on two reasons why the article is lacking in creating a complete picture of these complex issues faced by young Indigenous people today:
First, not only does the article’s focus on suicide make the Aboriginal student body seem incapable of facing adversity, but the article also completely sidesteps the question of what is currently being done to address the budget cuts to the Aboriginal Service Centre (ASC).
In fact, a dialogue was established in mid-September within the Ojigkwanong, Carleton’s Aboriginal community, since the students first learned about the budget cuts.
This dialogue has since evolved into a bi-weekly meeting to address operational and financial reforms for the ASC that has included CUSA’s vice president (student services), the former and present ASC liaisons, and members from the First People’s Council—a student-led organization on campus.
These steps taken to address the budget cuts are an important aspect to a complete analysis of the current situation that was not included in the original article.
Second, as an academic in the social sciences, the author must note that there are other factors to consider when looking at the high suicide rates of Indigenous peoples.
While I realize the correlation between the high number of suicides and the pressures of the Canadian colonial-settler system, I fail to see the causation between CUSA budget cuts and said suicide rates.
Granted, a Royal Commission on suicide among Aboriginal Peoples does acknowledge the socio-economic factors as represented in the article, however the report also lists psychological, situational, and cultural factors as well such as the isolation of Indigenous communities, and substance abuse, among other things. The report goes on to provide examples of community initiatives to address this problem and make further recommendations that would help overcome barriers to success.
To claim that the lack of funds for Indigenous programs in educational institutions is the cause of suicides in Indigenous communities only tells a part of the story.
This is not to deny the high suicide rates within Indigenous communities or even to say the CUSA budget cuts do not negatively affect Indigenous students, because they do.
Neocolonialism does exist in Canada. Many Indigenous people suffer greatly in one of the richest countries in the world, and these issues are often swept under the rug by the rest of Canadian society.
But to claim CUSA budget cuts is related to high suicide rates within Indigenous communities is a spurious argument, and to frame it in such a way to assume that nothing has been done about either issue is irresponsible journalism.
As a member of the Indigenous community on campus, I can appreciate the intention of the article, and welcome support for the need to address these complex issues. However, anyone who wants to acknowledge the “need for lasting processes of relations” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, as it was phrased, should also acknowledge that Indigenous people are not helpless.
The “dying breed” narrative should no longer be accepted in Canada as many Indigenous students at Carleton and elsewhere have long been entering university to address these exact problems.
