For a

Native Peoples

Bill of Rights

thern Development.
Faced by the rising tide of
struggle by the Native Peoples

conditions under which the vast
majority are forced to exist, con-
demned by growing public revul-
sion against the ruling capitalist
Establishment-inspired toleration
of these injustices, and pressur-
ed by the propaganda necessities
of the cold war, government pol-
icy towards the Native Peoples
has undergone a marked change
since the 1950's.

From a policy of cold indiffer-
ence and callous neglect that
strove to keep the plight of the
Native Peoples from public view
while condemning them to slow
death by poverty, malnutrition
‘and disease, the government has
gone over to an active policy of
enforced assimilation disguised
as “integration.” Its object is to
compel the Native Peoples to
abandon their reserves, commun-
ities and way of life, “Anglicize”
their children through the edu-
cational system. instill shame of
their historical background. dis-
courage their language and cul-
ture, and compel them to

enter our corporation-controlled

highly industrialized _socie-
ty without adequate train-
ing or education—a society in
which they suffer racist discrim-
ination, are denied jobs and
housing, condemned to shack
towns, and slums and skidrows
of the cities.

The terrible plight of Canada’s
half million Native Peoples is a
blight on Canada’s name and a
searing indictment of the in-
human policies of successive
federal governments. They are
compelled to live in poverty and
squalor. They are denied the
most elementary human rights,
subjected to shameful discrim-
ination by employers in job op-
portunities, to brutal treatment
by the police and to scandalous-
ly unjust treatment by the
courts.

Over 40 percent of the Native
Peoples are on welfare and their
numbers continue to grow. Half
of Indian families earn less than
$1,000 a year.

The infant mortality rate
among Indians and Eskimos is
twice the Canadian average. The
life expectancy of an Eskimo is
21 years, of an Indian 34 years,
compared to a Canadian life
expectancy of 62 years.

Over 60 percent of Indian stu-
dents do not reach Grade VIII,
only 3 percent attain Grade XII.
Twenty-five percent of Eskimo
children do not attend school.

Per capita, five times as many
Indians land in jail as non-
Indians, One-third of Canada’s
reform institutions are filled with
people of Native ancestry. Most
offenses are minor, such as vag-
rancy—the crime of being with-
, out a job, money and a place to
sleep—and liquor offenses. In-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 9, 1969-—Page 6

dians receive heavy jail senten-
ces where non-Indians would not
even be arrested.

The big majority of Native
houses still lack electricity, run-
ning water, indoor toilets and
baths. Overcrowding is rampant.

All of this is a result of over
a century of suppression, dis-
crimination, and neglect based
on a calculated policy of racism
pursued to the present day, for
which the government of Can-
ada and the big corporations it

As part of its policy of forced
assimilation, the federal govern-
ment attempts to buy off certain
stratas of Native leaders to sup-
port the ruling monopoly Estab-
lishment. It strives to create a
Native civil service to act as a
buffer between the Native Peo-
ples and those of their leaders
who are subservient to the gov-
ernment and the political parties
of big business. The government
uses its conditional subsidies to
Native organizations in order to
inhibit and limit Native press-
ures for reforms.

The conditions of the Native
Peoples will be changed for the
better only through their mili-
tant struggles, supported by all
democratic Canadians, for the

icies based on principles of full
equality.

This must include meaningful
compensation for the natural
wealth of which they were de-
spoiled and other historic injus-
tices inflicted upon them; full
recognition of their national
identity and development of
their Native cultures; full power
of decision-making on all ques-
tions pertaining to their affairs
as Native Peoples; the rooting
out of all vestiges of racism and
discrimination, full equality in
society and before the law; a
massive social program to bring
their health, housing, educa-
tional standards, training and
job opportunities up to accepted
Canadian standards.

Specifically, the Communist
Party stands for: :

@ Replacing the colonialist
Indian Act with a Bill of Rights
for Native Peoples which codifies

- in the laws of Canada the full

and equal rights of the Native
Peoples with all Canadians,
equality in opportunity, full
recognition and protection of all
historic and treaty rights; self-
government on the reserves; full
freedom to move off the re-
serves, if so desired, without
loss of treaty rights.

e@ End the open and covert
racist discrimination against Na-

tive People by legislation provid
ing severe penalties against a]
forms of such discrimination in
cluding that of firms refusing t
hire or provide housing and othe;
public facilities to Native Peo
ples. Guarantee Native People:
full access to news media te
expose discriminatory practices,

e@ Recognition and just settle
ment of Indian land claims bys
public commission on which In
dians and Labor are adequately
represented.

@ Native Peoples to receive
priority on jobs available 01
opening up in Canada’s north
country as a condition for per-
mits to private corporations to
exploit natural resources.

@ Establish industries on of
near the reserves and commuti-
ties under joint Indian-Goven-
ment or Eskimo-Government
operation to provide jobs, end
the private exploitation ‘of re
serve resources —land, timbef,
oil and minerals by non-Indian
corporations. '

e A large-scale government
financed modern public housing
program to replace the shacks
and slums Native Peoples now
live in, both on and off the re
serves; build needed recreation
facilities on the reserves.

© Adequate financial and
other government assistance 0
develop Native cultures, revatlip
the whole educational systel
for Native children, including it
struction in the Native lang
uages, with courses relevant t
their cultures and job oppo
ities staffed by Native peop
and operating with Native pareit
consent; remove all church cot
trol over Native education,
vise history texts and litera
which portray Natives as “sé”
ages.”

While advocating and cal
paigning for its own proposals
for the rectification of the his
toric injustices inflicted upon
Indian, Eskimo and Metis
ples by British and Canadis®
ruling circles ever since
White man first arrived he
through to the present day;
Communist Party pledges its ni
selfish support to the str ‘ull
of the Native Peoples to win a
and equal rights in all sphe
of public activity in Canad
economic, social, cultural,
and political. de

We call upon all democr
Canadians and, above all,
organized labor movement, elt
throw the full weight
support behind the just @
and rightful demands of
ada’s Native Peoples.