Canada: the true north, strong and free — unless you're Indigenous

The good Canadian.

That's the way many Canadians see themselves. It's the face Canada puts on, both internationally and at home. 

Canada is a peacekeeper, a defender of liberty, and a humane, empathetic nation that's willing to make sacrifices so its citizens have access to health care and so people from around the globe feel welcome.

But is there a dark secret behind that national identity? What if that identity is just a mask hiding the country's true nature from others — and itself? 

These are the questions at the heart of The Good Canadian, a documentary that goes behind the news stories to deliver a sobering account of Canada's ongoing injustices against Indigenous people.

The film looks at the systemic inequities faced by First Nations and Inuit people, whose ancestors were on these lands long before the nation of Canada existed. 

It chronicles the history of dispossession — from the theft of land and residential schools to the separation of families today — and traces the impact of Canada's racism and racist policies on Indigenous communities and their access to child welfare, health care, justice and education.

• Census data shows that 23.7 per cent of Indigenous children were living in poverty in 2021, compared to 10.8 per cent of non-Indigenous children. 

• The projected life expectancy for Indigenous people born in Canada in 2021 is 77 years, compared to 85 years for non-Indigenous people.

• Only eight per cent of children in Canada are Indigenous, but they make up 54 per cent of those in foster care, according to the 2021 census.

• Indigenous people are overrepresented in the federal correctional system. Only about five per cent of Canada's adult population is Indigenous, but they account for 32 per cent of those in custody. 

• According to the most recent figures, 63 per cent per cent of First Nations youth had completed high school — 53 per cent for those on reserve. Meanwhile, the high school graduation rate for the non-Indigenous population is 91 per cent.

The documentary, directed by Leena Minifie and David Paperny, features whistleblowers, advocates and experts. And according to some, the numbers and evidence add up to to nothing short of a genocide.

The Good Canadian exposes the reality behind the idea of a true north, strong and free — something Canadians must reckon with before reconciliation is possible. 

Watch the film on CBC on Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT) and on APTN at 9 p.m. Now streaming on CBC Gem and the CBC Docs YouTube channel.