Positive Effects of Imperialism


Cultural contact in our globalizing world is inevitable. With cultural contact comes cultural change. Sometimes this change can cause cultural diffusion in which cultures learn from one another and adapt to co-exist. At this time in history, industrialization, scientific discoveries, and new ideas about how society should be structured were providing easier and safer lives for all people. Imperialism benefited Canada's Indigenous people in the following ways:

  • Goods: European manufactured products such as guns, cloth, metal cooking tools, farming implements, clothing, and wheeled carts all made life easier for First Nations people.

  • Wealth: Wealth from industrialized nations came to the new world and eventually came into the hands of all people. While the Native people had been at the mercy of bad weather and seasonal food supplies, wealth and technology meant that more food and shelter was available.

  • Education: Education provided people with skills needed to succeed in the European context. This included reading and writing, learning new languages, and learning how to fit in with the dominant culture. This allowed them to succeed in the new world, although many people believe that education was a key factor in destroying native cultures.

  • Health Care: After an initial decline in health of Native people due to diseases to which they had no immunity, modern medical techniques eventually helped people with many common diseases. Infant mortality decreased. Death in childbirth decreased. Through time, life expectancy improved.

  • Treaties: Treaties were legal agreements signed by First Nations chiefs and British and Canadian government officials. These agreements provided First Nations people with some rights. Some are just an outright ceding or sale of land by the Aboriginal group to the government officials. Others involve an exchange of goods. Some involve many different legal agreements. For example, Treaty 4, between the Cree and Salteaux tribes and the Queen of England, required the Native people to give up most rights to their traditional land of southern Saskatchewan. The treaty commissioner told the native people that lands are the Queen's under the Great Spirit. In exchange, they were given limited hunting and fishing rights, one square mile of reserve land per family of five, a coat, $12 to $25 per person depending on social status, farm implements, cattle, and a school.


From the First Nations perspective, treaties have come under criticism because native chiefs frequently did not know the terms of the treaties. Differing values and beliefs led to misunderstanding when people of different languages and cultures attempted to make agreements. No legal counsel was provided, and treaties were usually concluded in a matter of days with neither side fully understanding the ramifications. They gave up huge areas of profitable land and their traditional way of life for very little in return. Many elders interviewed after the signing of treaties expressed a very different understanding of the terms than what was actually offered.

From another perspective, other Canadians feel the treaties are unfair because they grant Native people rights that are not afforded to other Canadians. Some feel that the paternalistic attitude projected by the treaties encouraged Native people to remain dependent on the government rather than encouraging them to take full responsibility for themselves. 


Treaties are legally binding agreements signed by the British and First Nations forefathers of Canada. They cannot be overturned today simply because we do not agree with them now.