The original colonies that settled in Canada brought with them their colonial policies and their Eurocentric, willfully oppressive, toxic, social structuring. While initial interactions were cooperative (the colonists would have died immediately if not for the help they received from Indigenous wisdom) these relationships soon eroded with the imposition of European values and "settlement laws". At the top of this list is The Indian Act. Not just a piece of legislation, The Indian Act represented the tear running straight through Canada’s moral fabric; this colonial law was nothing but an apartheid system designed to oppress and control Indigenous peoples from the beginning.
Over the years its influence only spread, weaving its way into the hearts and minds over generations. The legacy of The Indian Act has caused profound harm to Indigenous communities, stripping away their autonomy, culture, health, and well-being. It destroyed families and formed the systemic racism every Indigenous Canadian has had to battle to this day. It has cost all Canadians the loss of nearly two hundred years of experience in rich Indigenous culture that would have been a boon to all, across the nation, and would have shaped the country we have become today.  Instead, the long-lasting consequences of the Indian Act have scarred Indigenous peoples socially, politically, and culturally, while disruptions to health, food systems, relationships with the land, and cultural practices continue to affect the current generation. The Act influenced a poisoning of public judgement that actively encouraged bigotry and intolerance. The Indian Act is not just a historical injustice—it is an ongoing legacy of harm that continues to shape the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Every Canadian needs to look deeply into all the ways personal subconscious perspective has been impacted by this. Until we confront every facet and recognize this racist divide in its entirety, it will still carry on in the racially divided thoughts and beliefs that many may not see or realize is a part in their own conscious awareness. The first step is truly decolonizing your own mind and opening your heart to the realities of Indigenous Peoples. We will only build a future of repair, coalition, and respect when every mind that understands the full truth and damage.