Vocab
Sovereignty
The right of a group or nation to govern itself and make its own decisions.
Reserve
Land set aside by the government for First Nations communities
Annuity
A regular payment made each year, often promised in treaties.
Entrenching
To firmly protect a law or right so it cannot be easily changed
Patriate
To bring a constitution under a country’s own control (Canada did this in 1982).
Assimilate
To force or pressure a group to give up its culture and adopt another culture.
Ethnocentrism
Believing your own culture is better than others.
Indian Act
A Canadian law that controls many aspects of First Nations life and governance.
Métis
A distinct Indigenous group in Canada with mixed First Nations and European ancestry
Inuit
Indigenous peoples who live mainly in northern Canada.
Indian
A legal term used in the Indian Act to describe First Nations people (now considered outdated by many).
First Nations
Indigenous peoples in Canada who are not Métis or Inuit.
Anglophone
A person or group whose first language is English.
Francophone
A person or group whose first language is French.
Official Language Community
A group that speaks one of Canada’s official languages (English or French).
Official Language Minority
A group that speaks an official language but is a minority in that area (e.g., Francophones outside Quebec).
Collective Rights
Rights held by a group, not just individuals
Collective Identity
A shared sense of belonging to a group.
Affirm
To officially recognize or confirm something as true.
Publicly Funded
Paid for by the government using tax money
Inherent Rights
Rights people are born with that cannot be taken away.
Scrip
A certificate given instead of land in the past, often used to remove Indigenous land rights.
Treaty 6, 7, 8
Agreements between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples about land, rights, and responsibilities