Pass system (Canadian history)
Imagine you have a really cool toy that you're not allowed to play with all the time. Maybe it's a video game or a doll that you love. Your mom or dad says you can only play with it at certain times or for a certain amount of time each day. That's a little bit like the pass system that some Indigenous people in Canada had to follow many years ago.
The pass system was a set of rules that said Indigenous people had to get permission to leave their reserves or territories to do certain things. Just like you might need permission from your parents to go to a friend's house or watch TV after bedtime, Indigenous people needed permission from the government to leave their homes.
This wasn't fair, because non-Indigenous people didn't have to follow the same rules. It made it harder for Indigenous people to travel, go to school, find work, or see their families. Imagine if you had to ask your parents for permission to go to school or see your grandparents! It would be really frustrating and unfair.
These rules were put in place starting in the late 1800s and continued until the 1950s, although some people say they still affect Indigenous people today. Some Indigenous people were able to get around the system by sneaking off their reserves or territories, or by getting fake passes, but that was risky.
Today, many people in Canada are working to better understand and remember the harm that the pass system caused. By acknowledging and learning from this history, we can work towards making things more fair and equal for all people.
The pass system was a set of rules that said Indigenous people had to get permission to leave their reserves or territories to do certain things. Just like you might need permission from your parents to go to a friend's house or watch TV after bedtime, Indigenous people needed permission from the government to leave their homes.
This wasn't fair, because non-Indigenous people didn't have to follow the same rules. It made it harder for Indigenous people to travel, go to school, find work, or see their families. Imagine if you had to ask your parents for permission to go to school or see your grandparents! It would be really frustrating and unfair.
These rules were put in place starting in the late 1800s and continued until the 1950s, although some people say they still affect Indigenous people today. Some Indigenous people were able to get around the system by sneaking off their reserves or territories, or by getting fake passes, but that was risky.
Today, many people in Canada are working to better understand and remember the harm that the pass system caused. By acknowledging and learning from this history, we can work towards making things more fair and equal for all people.