Who is involved?

So who is involved with Aboriginal inequality? Who is suffering? Whose problem is it? And who should come up with the solutions?

Government:
The government plays a huge role in determining how Aboriginals are treated from a political and legal way. The government has the power to create, change, and take away polices that either help Aboriginals are hinder them in some way and they should take ownership of the issue and do something to fix it. In actuality the government does almost nothing to address the issue. They have tried to fix things through Agreements, like the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement in 2006, accords, like the Kelowna Accord in 2005, treaties, and large sums of money (Of the $9 billion targeted to Aboriginal people annually, only 2% is spent on economic development, the one thing that could ensure self-reliance and stable jobs and housing for the community), but the issue remains intact and it continues to grow.

Justice system:
The justice system has gravely mistreated Aboriginal inmates. There is extreme systemic discrimination and Aboriginals are subjected to discrimination and racism that hinders both their release and their stay as they do not have access to programs intended for rehabilitation and release. Also, the federal corrections system employs almost no Aboriginals when they make up a high percentage of the inmates. Furthermore, the meaning of justice is different for Aboriginals. They focus on the restoration of peace and the reconciliation of the wrongdoer and the wronged whereas the system focuses on punitive methods and on isolation the wrongdoer from society. Aboriginals are denied the benefit of justice circles that they have used for thousands of years and if they are granted the use of a circle as means of court they are not allowed to leave their reserve.

Canadians:
Obviously, the people who are most suffering are the Aboriginal people. They are forced to go through this bullying from the government, the justice and legal system, and other groups and people. Canadians play an important role whether they are Aboriginal or not. We hold more power than we think. Some of us are doing the bullying even if we think we aren't. We use stereotypes or precautions when talking to people with Aboriginal ancestry or we make assumptions on how they will act or think about something. Doing nothing is consent to so whether we like to admit it or not we make an impact.

NGOs:
Non-governmental groups also play a huge role in Aboriginal issues and helping the victims of all the different types of inequality and discrimination. The Indigenous Education Network and the coalition for Advancement of Aboriginal Studies aims to encourage the inclusion of Aboriginal history and cultures in the school curriculum while the Aboriginal Healing Foundation provides millions of dollars to fund community-based healing projects. Some other examples include the Belinda Stronach Foundation, Indspire, and the Frontiers Foundation. But unless these organizations are backed up with governmental policies, laws, and funds they will not be able to achieve all that could be achieved.