This article, published by CBC news, addresses the history of residential schools in Canada, as well as the compensation attempts made by the Canadian government, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The article discusses some frequent questions that arise on the history of residential schools, and what the Canadian government has done to redeem itself.

First, the article summarizes the history of residential schools in Canada. How they came into existence, how the students were treated, and the effect they had on first nations people, and Canada as a country.

In the early 20th century, residential schools were built to support the government’s “aggressive assimilation” policy. The government believed children were easier to “mold” than adults, and because of this they made attendance mandatory for first nations children. The schools were designed to destroy all aboriginal culture in the students, punishing those who spoke in their native tongue or practised native traditions. Students at the schools lived in very substandard conditions, and were physically and emotionally abused throughout the years they attended. Once residential schools closed, the children that attended had lost their language, history, and culture, isolating them when they returned to their reserves. The assimilation that occurred during this time period in Canadian history is responsible for the loss of first nations history and culture, which cannot be recovered.

After delivering this information, the article addresses the attempts Canada has made to compensate for the residential schools, and reconcile with first nations, such as financial compensation to residential school victims, or public apologies made towards the first nations people by politicians or other public figures, such as Stephen Harper. 

This article discusses a Canadian study held in 2014 hoping to research the high suicide rates in the arctic aboriginal communities, and attempt to solve this problem. Nunavut’s suicide rate was 13.5 times the Canadian national average in 2013, which caught the attention of the Canadian government and many non-profit organizations. Once the study was announced, most other countries on the Arctic Council joined, such as Denmark, Norway, and the United States. These countries all have native populations located in the arctic regions of their nations, with similar mental health issues. Malcolm King, the science director for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and coordinator of the project, stated that he hopes other countries like Russia, with a native arctic population said to have high suicide rates, will join the study.

The significance of this information is to show that many different arctic countries are facing similar issues surrounding suicide in first nations communities, and that teams in every participating country are researching why that is, and possible solutions.

The study’s results revealed a lot of useful information, showing that the problem affects young people, up to their mid-twenties the most. A common thread was also found with many teams, that has to do with cultural community. It issues around formation of identity, as well as isolation and disconnect from the community.

Plans to combat this include giving young native people a voice, such as photography or other media arts, as well as peer support through social media. However, many other problems still exist in the arctic first nations communities. For example, mental-health advocates say suicide prevention services don’t even come close to meeting the demand. Nunavut even lacks a residential substance abuse program.

The article states that a new fashion incubator program is being started in major cities such as Toronto that teaches native fashion designers how to properly use the techniques and/or designs found in aboriginal culture. The founders are hoping that the program will discourage cultural appropriation in mainstream fashion design. 

The significance of the article is to explain why cultural appropriation is such a problem in the fashion industry, and how to prevent it from happening. Even Sage Paul, one founder of the incubator program and a native fashion designer herself, says that she is cautious to use anything traditional in her work out of fear of misappropriating her own culture.

The main solutions that the article provides are to start programs such as the one discussed in the article, or to “bring a native designer or artist onto their team as a cultural consultant to show respect and ensure authenticity.” says Angela DeMontigny, a native fashion designer from Toronto. If they can’t do this, incorporating traditional aboriginal influences shouldn’t be an option.