Section 1 Glossary

Section 1 Glossary

affirm: to acknowledge or to declare something to be true

Also, when a person or a group feels affirmed or feels a sense of affirmation, that person or group feels accepted or feels a sense of belonging.

Anglophone: an individual in Canada whose first language is English

assimilate: to lose one's own cultural identity while becoming part of a different cultural group

collective: a group that shares or is motivated by common interests

collective right: a group right as opposed to an individual right

entrench: to set in place or establish firmly

ethnocentrism: the belief, point of view, or perspective that one's culture is superior to all other cultures

First Nations: the diverse Aboriginal peoples who have collective rights recognized and protected in Canada's constitution

The constitution refers to First Nations as Indians in keeping with the name used at the time when the treaties were negotiated originally.

Francophone: an individual in Canada whose first language is French

Indian: the word that Europeans used to describe the First Nations of North America

In fact, these peoples were diverse and had names for themselves. Many First Nations prefer not to use the word Indian to describe themselves.

land claims: unfinished business between the government and First Nations people, usually involving land and usually based on historic treaty decisions

official language minority: a small group whose language is officially recognized and which exists within a larger group, such as Anglophones living in Quebec

settlement: an agreement to settle a dispute or disagreement