Indian Act

Within the 1870s and the 1880s, many events happened that worsened Indigenous-Settler relations. One of the most notable events was the introduction of the Indian Act. This act was put in place to suppress Indigenous way of life in favour of European/white culture. In addition, if Indigenous people wanted to vote federally, they had to revoke their Indigenous status and treaty rights to do so. An amendment to this Act came in 1880 which stated that women who marry anyone that is not of Indigenous status are no longer affiliated and are terminated from the Indigenous population. This was to demoralize Indigenous women and further worsened the relationship between the Indigenous people and the Canadian government.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/21-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-indian-act-1.3533613

Just three years after the amendment to the Indian Act, which already worsened relations between the Indigenous people and the government of Canada, on July 1st of 1883 residential schools were authorized to exist within Canada. The point of these residential schools was to take away children from their parents and introduce and force European culture and way of thought within Indigenous kids at a young age. In addition, they were not allowed to practice their native culture and were badly abused by teachers and staff. As children were ripped apart from their parents for reasons of white washing, the Indigenous people were horrified by what the Canadian government is not only doing to Indigenous people, but also to the future of their culture. By April 19th, 1884, they had created these residential schools and it was purely funded by the Canadian government as well as Christian churches.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-act?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxeX_4sDc9AIV4oFbCh1FcQNHEAAYASAAEgLvS_D_BwE