Wednesday, December 17. 2014

Today's schedule is B-AG-A-D-C

B & D Blocks Law 12 & Law 9/10 - Today we have a guest speaker, Mr. Ken Lees. Mr Lees used to teach at Vanier, but now works with SD71 Aboriginal Education Services. He's going to talk with us about Aboriginal principles of justice and how they are being adapted into the Canadian legal system. From the Justice Education Society:

If you have been charged with a crime and are an Aboriginal person, there are special cultural considerations that the court must take into account in assessing your case.  This applies to all Aboriginal peoples of Canada, including status and non-status Indian, Inuit, and Métis and whether living on or off reserve. What this means is that, as an Aboriginal offender, a restorative justice process may be more appropriate for you.  Such processes focus on healing those affected by the criminal act, including the offender, and so are more in line with traditional Aboriginal justice.  Also, a restorative justice approach will often allow for a solution with no jail time, which helps reduce the drastic over-representation of Aboriginals in Canadian jails.

A & C Blocks Social Studies 10 - Today we'll continue the work I assigned yesterday on the Indian Act and the Numbered Treaties on the Canadian Prairies (questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 a & b from page 180 of the Horizons text). After a bit, I'll give you a handout on the numbered treaties that you'll need to complete. On it you'll need to answer:

• When were the numbered treaties signed
• What was the government's purpose in making these treaties
• Why did many First Nations sign these treaties
• Which areas of Canada were covered by these treaties
• What were the effects of these treaties on the lives of First Nations people
• Name some peoples who were involved in signing treaties with the Canadian government in this period

Don't forget, for more on the Numbered treaties and the Indian Act see:

Canada in the Making
Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs
CBC Digital Archives - Why Treaty Rights are worth Fighting For
The Canadian Encyclopedia: The Indian Act
Henderson's Annotated Indian Act