Reference no: EM133303053

Assignment:

Question: Do you feel people of Stony Point First Nation were justified in their decision to occupy Ipperwash Provincial Park? What other options, if any, did they have?

Put yourself in the position of the OPP. What could they have done to resolve the dispute differently? How could violence have been avoided?

During WWII, the Department of National Defence appropriated the land of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, stating it would return the land after the war at a fair price.
Why do you think the government was able to sell back the land to those whom it already belonged to?
What impact did this have on the people of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation?
What steps would you take if the government appropriated your home and then offered to sell it back to you?

Should Aboriginal burial grounds be considered protected land? Are these burial grounds more or less protected than cemeteries? Why do you think that is?

Agreements between the federal government and First Nations communities are based on a number of treaties signed between 1693 and 1956. These treaties included trust obligations between the two parties, which outlined promises made by the government about territory and land titles. For a change in land occupation to occur a new treaty needed to be created.
Do you think the federal government upheld their trust obligation in the case of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation land claim dispute?
Are the OPP obliged to uphold trust obligations in the same way that the government is?
Do you think they were in violation of their trust obligation in the case of the occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park?

Generally speaking, issues pertaining to Aboriginal land claims fall under federal government jurisdiction and the Indian Act. However, this case fell under provincial jurisdiction and the Natural Resources Transfer Act because it involved a provincial park.
Do you think the provincial or federal government should have dealt with the occupation at Ipperwash?
How do you think these jurisdictional differences contributed to the conflict?
Do you think the federal government should have been directly involved in the resolution process?

Why do you think the Ontario government viewed the Ipperwash occupation as a law enforcement issue rather than an Aboriginal rights issue?

One of the recommendations concluded that the federal government should issue a public apology with appropriate compensation for failing to honour its promise to return the land more than 6o years ago. What do you think would qualify as "appropriate compensation"?

Another recommendation concluded that the federal government should immediately return the former army camp to the people of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
Should the government be required to give back all lands to Aboriginal people that were agreed upon and signed for under the various treaties?
What are some advantages and disadvantages of doing so?

What is the relationship between Aboriginal people and the criminal justice system and how is it reflected in the events that occurred at Ipperwash Provincial Park.

How did the relationship between the government and the police, and the police and the Aboriginal people, impact the events at Ipperwash Provincial Park?