Indian Act Continue to rule – Soldier Settlement Scheme
In the years following the end of World War One, Indigenous peoples of Canada were subject to countless government infringements on their rights. That being said, the Indigenous peoples of Canada are far from devoid of agency and although our lack of sources have left this section lacking in Indigenous voices, it must be remembered that there is far more to the story than what we were able to portray.
“The Indian soldiers gave an excellent account of themselves at the front, and their officers have commended them most highly for their courage, intelligence, efficiency, stamina, and discipline. In daring and intrepidity they were second to none and their performance is a ringing rebuttal to the familiar assertion that the red man has deteriorated. The fine record of the Indians in the great war appears in a peculiarly favourable light when it is remembered that their services were absolutely voluntary, as they were specialty exempted from the operation of the Military Service Act, and that they were prepared to give their lives for their country without compulsion or even the fear of compulsion. It must also be borne in mind that a large part of the Indian population is located in remote and inaccessible locations, are unacquainted with the English language and were, therefore, not in a position to understand the character of the war, its cause or effect. It is, therefore, a remarkable fact that the percentage of enlistments among the Indians is fully equal to that among other sections of the community and indeed far above the average in a number of instances… The Indians are especially susceptible to tuberculosis, and many of their soldiers who escaped the shells and bullets of the enemy succumbed to this dreaded disease upon their return to Canada as a result of the hardships to which they were exposed at the front.” – Duncan Campbell Scott, Deputy Superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs (Page 15-16, Department of Indian Affairs, 1919 report)