Systematic Exclusion

Imagine the map of Canada. Now, in your mind, draw a line from one side of the country to the other that you think matches the ethnic divide: on the north side of the line, aboriginals outnumber non-aboriginals; south of the line, non-aboriginals are the majority.

Now compare your mental map with this one of Canada's major road routes:

(detailed map at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/images/mediaroom/nhs_map.gif )

Chances are, there won't be many core routes that cross that imaginary line. Sure, the population density is way lower in the north. But that's not the point. We can build highways north if there's a resource there to exploit. Mines are a big draw (Yellowknife, Flin Flon, Thompson, Labrador City), and of course access to energy is even more compelling (Inuvik, Fort McMurray, Radisson).

But it seems that people don't count in our thinking. Any minetown with a population of 200 gets a highway, regardless of distance. But towns like Eabametoong (Fort Hope, population 1200) and Attawapiskat (population 2000) don't. In fact, we don't even think about those places until international attention spotlights the fact that people live there in worse than third-world conditions.

No, we can't blame the Canadian Shield for this neglect. We can build roads over the rockiest, wettest parts (which are found near the shield's southern edge, such as the Lake Superior shore), but the well-gravelled Hudson Bay lowlands to the north remain road-free. Only Indians live there. Why would they want roads?

What I'm saying is our racist outlook is so systemic, we don't even notice it. People will howl at this statement, but please reflect on it. We have a lot of reflecting to do if we're going to heal the misunderstandings of the past.