In response to the recent successive discoveries of the remains of a large number of indigenous children and unnamed grave needles in Canada, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on July 16 that "the hammer after hammer" is "shocking."
He asked, when will the Canadian oppression and plunder of the indigenous people be eradicated?
When will Canada restore justice to the residents, and when will it give history and the world a responsible account?
Zhao Lijian pointed out that the "Indian Act" is a testimony to the suffering history of Canadian aborigines over the centuries.
According to the 1894 revised version of the law, aboriginal children between the ages of 7 and 16 must receive "compulsory education" in so-called boarding schools-cutting their long hair, banning their own language, and banning their own culture.
He said that according to incomplete statistics, from the end of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century, the Canadian government forced at least 150,000 aboriginal children into so-called boarding schools.
The Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission pointed out that the purpose of the Canadian government is to plunder the land and resources of the aborigines for the colonists and to carry out "cultural genocide" against them.
Zhao Li insisted that the "Indian Act" also deprived the indigenous people of Canada of space for survival and development.
The law stipulates that the Canadian government has the right to requisition the "reserved land" of indigenous people without the consent of the indigenous people and without compensation for the construction of public facilities such as railways, power grids and highways.
Resources such as minerals, coastal waters and wetlands in the "reserved land" are not owned by the aboriginal people, and it is impossible to provide sufficient living resources for the aboriginal people.
Many aborigines had to give up their status and rights as "Indians", leave their homes to make a living in the cities, and become urban "marginal people" amidst the squeeze and assimilation of mainstream society.
Some Canadian scholars pointed out that the "Indians Act" was enacted by "dominant" colonists and was an unequal clause unilaterally imposed by the Canadian government on the aboriginals.
"The Canadian government should ask itself, when will Canada's oppression and plunder of the indigenous people be eradicated? When will Canada restore justice to the inhabitants, and when will it give history and the world a responsible account?" Zhao Lijian asked in return.
(Produced by Wang Jiayi)
Editor in charge: [Yu Xiao]