Colonization is not Good Work: Entanglements of Public Service Labour, Budget Cuts & “Indian Departments”
The 2025 Federal Budget made cuts to Crown Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Canada. While Indigenous leaders and unions protested the reductions, Shady Hafez offers some perspective: these “Indian Departments” are tasked with administering colonization. Considering their history and many recent failures, these departments should face cuts and those resources allocated directly to communities instead. Additionally, public sector unions must reconcile their calls for justice for Indigenous people with their ongoing support of a colonial bureaucracy.
