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From Stonechild to Social Cohesion: Anti-Racist Challenges for Saskatchewan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2006

Joyce Green
Joyce Green
Affiliation:
University of Regina
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Abstract

Abstract. In this article, I study the conclusions of Mr. Justice David Wright's report on the inquiry into the death of Neil Stonechild, and discuss the incident in the context of Aboriginal-settler relations in Saskatchewan. I view these exemplars of the racism in Saskatchewan's, and Canada's, political culture. I argue that the processes of colonialism are the impulse for the racist ideology that is now encoded in social, political, economic, academic and cultural institutions and practices, and which functions to maintain the status quo of white dominance. Confronting systemic and institutional racism, and de- and re-constructing political culture, are essential for social health and for the possibility of a post-colonial future. Given Saskatchewan's demographic trajectory, which indicates a majority Aboriginal population in the near future, failure to deal with white racism will guarantee social stresses between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, damaging the province's economic and social viability into the future. Therefore, a proactive, self-reflective, anti-racist policy and a strategy for building public support should be a priority for any Saskatchewan government. Social cohesion, a necessary condition for a healthy citizenship regime and a notion of considerable interest to provincial and federal politicians and to academics, cannot be constructed without tackling racism. I conclude by suggesting that decolonization is the necessary political project to eradicate the kinds of systemic practices that arguably killed Neil Stonechild and others.

Résumé. Dans cet article, j'examine les conclusions du rapport de l'enquête du juge David Wright sur la mort de Neil Stonechild. À mon avis, dans le contexte des relations entre Premières Nations et Blancs, l'incident est un exemple du racisme présent dans la culture politique de la Saskatchewan et du Canada. Selon moi, le processus du colonialisme est à la base de l'idéologie raciste qui est désormais encodée dans les institutions et pratiques culturelles, sociales, politiques, économiques et éducatives, et qui maintient le statu quo de la domination des Blancs. Il est essentiel de confronter le racisme institutionnel et systémique, de déconstruire et de reconstruire la culture politique afin de recouvrer une santé sociale et d'entrevoir un avenir postcolonial. Étant donné la trajectoire démographique de la Saskatchewan, qui suggère dans un avenir rapproché une population en majorité composée de Premières nations, l'incapacité d'enrayer le racisme des Blancs ouvrira la porte à des tensions sociales entre les populations des Premières nations et les autres, mettant en danger la viabilité économique et sociale de la province. Ainsi, établir une politique antiraciste, proactive, de même qu'une stratégie de soutien de la part du public devraient être des priorités pour le gouvernement de la Saskatchewan. La cohésion sociale, condition nécessaire d'une saine citoyenneté et notion d'un intérêt considérable pour les politiciens du provincial, du fédéral et pour les universitaires, est impossible sans qu'on s'attaque à la question du racisme. Je conclus en suggérant que la décolonisation est le projet politique indispensable pour mettre fin à des pratiques systémiques dont on peut soutenir qu'elles ont tué Neil Stonechild, parmi d'autres.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , September 2006 , pp. 507 - 527
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

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