What Makes this Injustice so Complex?

Aboriginal people have a natural and holistic view of mental wellness, meaning to be in a state of balance with one’s family, community, and the larger environment. Culture and spirituality are the frameworks of treatment developed by First Nations and Inuit communities, and both family and community have key roles in helping people to regain their sense of balance (Khan, 2008). Due to this, European models of treatment that remove the person from their surroundings do not tend to work for this group, one of the reasons why this issue is so difficult to solve. While some government policies and initiatives are well intentioned, others are motivated by the condescending attitude that failed to recognize the independence of the aboriginal people and the richness of their culture (McGill University, 2001). In a recently released Social Progress Index, Canada is ranked second amongst all nations for its tolerance and inclusion, however, our racism and discrimination is hidden deep within the country, sometimes only accessible by chartered floatplane (Gilmore, 2015). 49% of First Nations live on reserves, and those who do live in urban centres mostly confined to a few cities in the Prairies (Gilmore, 2015), making them out of sight and out of mind for the rest of the general Canadian population. There is complexity in that since we do not see these people struggling but rather only hear about it, we are less willing to help and less likely to remember that these people are a vital part of Canada’s history and the country as a whole.
Figure 13. Aboriginal child in poor living conditions
Figure 13. Aboriginal child living in poor conditions and poverty. Adapted from "Canada's race problem? Even worse than America's", by S Gilmore, (2015), Macleans, retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-2/. Reprinted without permission.

Figure 14. Social justice quotation
Figure 14. Quotation on social change and power. Adapted from "Who Am I to Judge?", (n.d.),  Pinterest, retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/269723465158368405/. Reprinted without permission.   

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