The Aboriginal community continues to recover from the years of struggle it has faced.  Residential schools, the banning of cultural events, promised but never fulfilled treaties, have left Aboriginal families without an identity and in disastrous conditions, where members of the community struggle to connect with the elders. The Canadian government has made actions which have left an irreplaceable and unfixable scar on the families of the Aboriginals. Due to these reasons, Canada’s First Nation’s children are living in a terrible state, as they are forced to live in poverty. They are struggling to connect with their culture and are denied the opportunities to live to the fullest potential. The reasons stated above will be further explained, in the following paragraphs.

Firstly, a significant number of First Nations children lives in poverty. Some argue that the Indigenous people are responsible for their poverty, as they already receive many benefits from the government, such as “free” university education and they do not have to pay sales tax. In my opinion, considering the large amounts of land and resources which have been stolen from them, this is not enough to repay them.  However, a recent article about Indigenous children by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation found that 60% of the children living on reserves lived in poverty. This was a conservative estimate, as not all children were counted. Poverty is a cycle and these kids struggle to break it. The financial status of their families often leads them to live in poor, terrible conditions. It is sad to believe, although these children are Canadian, their culture and background are barriers for them.

Secondly, Canada’s First Nation children struggle to connect to their culture. Many of these children do not have parents. If they do have parents, their parents usually neglect them or are victims of a type of abuse. The lack of connection which they have with their culture makes it hard for them to feel wanted in the Indigenous community. However, this is not the fault of the Aboriginal people. The number of years which the Canadian government has tried to assimilate these people is ridiculous. The Canadian government is the one to blame for the loss of these children’s culture.

Lastly, Aboriginal children are denied the same opportunities other Canadian children have. A study, by Statistics Canada, found that Aboriginal children were less likely to live with married parents, twice as likely to live with a single parent and twice as likely to live with their grandparents. Also, although they account for only 7 percent of Canadian children, 48 percent of all foster children are of Aboriginal descent.  The lack of care they receive heavily impacts their emotions and their ability to hold sustainable relationships. Many of them are victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, leading to a rise in the number of Aboriginal alcoholics. Although these children are given “free” post-secondary education, without a strong foundation, they continue to struggle, creating an unbalanced future for Canada’s First Nations children. They should be treated the same way other children are treated.

In conclusion, the state of Canada’s First Nation’s children is, absolutely, disastrous. The actions of the Canadian government have created so much damage for the families of Aboriginal descent. Due to these reasons, Canada’s First Nation’s children are living in a terrible state, as they are forced to live in poverty. These are the reasons why Canada’s Indigenous children live in terrible, outrageous conditions.