The Oka Confrontation (1990)
During the summer of 1990 in the town of Oka in Quebec, the council there had decided to expand a golf course. Except it was set to go into land that Mohawks from the Kanesatake reserve nearby thought of as sacred. This led to Mohawks blockading the land and trying to stop the construction and the Quebec provincial police were called in. When the police advanced on the lines of Mohawks, there was gunfire and in the end an officer was killed. After that the police decided to blockade Kanesatake and Mohawks near that reserve made sure to barricade the road that went to a bridge running through their reserve in order to block access to part of Montreal. All over Canada, various other Native groups showed their support…show more content… It was similar to the Meech Lake Accord and also advocated for the idea of Aboriginal self-government. Additionally, this Accord suggested reforming the senate. This was a response to the pressure Western provinces exerted and it declared that the Senate would turn into an elected body. It would then have equal representation from every part of the country. In 1992 there was a national referendum concerning the Charlottetown Accord and the Accord was rejected by 54.3 percent of the Canadian voters. British Colombians especially felt that Quebec would be given too much power with 25 percent of the seats in the House of Commons, no matter its population size. On the other hand, voters in Quebec thought that the Accord didn’t give them enough power since the West would hold a majority of the Senate seats. The Quebecois also didn’t agree with Aboriginal self-government due to the fact that it would affect a big part of northern Quebec. This Accord made Canadians feel anger towards each other instead of becoming closer. Many felt this accord was unfair and most likely blamed the other party. So this accord helped turn Quebec more against British Columbia out of resentment because it held more power in its opinion. In addition, British Columbia didn’t like Quebec either for trying to get, what was in its opinion, too much power. The struggle for power…show more content… In 1998 there was a case known as the Delgamuukw case concerning the extent and definition of the phrase Aboriginal title. It was concluded by the Supreme Court that Aboriginal groups would be able to own land if they were able to prove that they had occupied the land before the Canadian government went and claimed sovereignty. Additionally, they had to have continuously occupied it exclusively. This landmark ruling applied in other parts of the country as well. However, the lands had to be used in a manner consistent with Aboriginal title or they would be taken away. Aboriginal title also couldn’t be given to anyone besides the Crown. Giving Aboriginals the lands that were rightfully theirs before any other Canadians made Aboriginals more content. They felt more respected once their demands were heard and considered, which improved their ties with the rest of Canada. Hostilities didn’t cease altogether, but this Case made huge progress on Aboriginal rights and made them feel less resentment towards their fellow
