Craig blog 3

This week we read chapter 3 in the textbook. The chapter consisted of the development of education in Canada since the 1600's. What I found most interesting, and upsetting, was the residential school issue that Canada led for about 100 years. "Aboriginal children were removed from their family homes and sent to boarding schools." (pg 72) Putting aside the atrocities that went on in the schools, just the fact of kidnapping children from their homes is such an inappropriate act already. These children would then be put into a school with other young children, with no parents or family structures to develop their sense of what a family is. Obviously this would cause problems down the road. The article also talks about their need to be made into "civilized people". (pg 72) Not that our definition of civilized is a bad thing, but who were we to say that they were not civilized? First Nations had been living here for a lot longer than we had, and had been able to sustain themselves quite well. It shocked me how many Aboriginal childern had been taken. The article says that "one-third of Aboriginal children were placed in residential schools". (pg 73) The article also talks about the damage this caused down the road. (pg 73) Post-traumatic stress disorder is very similar to the symptoms many of these children/now adults present. These problems are passed down the generations and are still causing relationship problems, drug and alcohol abuse, and bad memories. I find it absurd that the last residential school only shut down in the 1990's. This is a problem that is not easily solved, but needs to have steps taken to make it right.
This racial problem occured toward pretty well anyone of another skin color. Blacks, Chinese, and Japanese are athe others the article discussed. These races were treated very poorly as well, mainly because they were not of the  "superior 'white race'". (pg 78) These kinds of problems, although have been clearing up for many years, are still causing problems under the surface. This stigma that is still attached to these races needs to be dropped, and we need to understand that humans are humans.
Discussion: What would Canada look like if none of this would have happened?