The Pass System

On Canada Day, The Pass System is free to rent. Use code "segregation", and watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thepasssystemfilm You can also see the film on CBC Gem here: https://gem.cbc.ca//fi/the-pass-system/38e815a-012c997d6a5 The core of Canada's story is colonialism. The pass system facilitated the segregation of Indigenous people from white Canada, and criminalized the visiting of towns and cities. John A. Macdonald, who signed off on the illegal system..., wrote this when approving the system in 1885: "Should they fail to produce such permits, they should be compelled to leave the precincts of said Towns or Villages." It's clear what "compelled" means when the Prime Minister of Canada says that. For those that have trouble believing Canada's first Prime Minister endorsed segregation, you can read it for yourself in Macdonald's own handwriting in two files attached here. The system worked in concert with residential schools: limiting and regulating access that parents had to their children, and keeping the parents under surveillance, and using the children as a tool to attempt to enforce compliance from the parents. We can see that in the pass here, where a parent from Okemasis is forced to endure the injustice and indignity of having to request permission to visit their own daughter, in Battleford Industrial School. Great respect to the family and descendants of the holder of this pass, written by the Indian Agent as Ookemokey Kake.

The Pass System is an investigative documentary about segregation of First Nations people in Canada. Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thepasssystemfilm. Until June 30, use the code "justice" to rent the film for free.

The Pass System is on CBC Gem! Watch it here: https://gem.cbc.ca//fi/the-pass-system/38e815a-012c997d6a5

THE PASS SYSTEM screens across the country on APTN on Monday, September 30 at the following times: Check the schedule to confirm times in your area at https://aptn.ca 2 PM Pacific, 3 PM Mountain, 4 PM Central, 5 PM Eastern, 6 PM Atlantic, & 6:30 PM Newfoundland... Hope you can tune in! THE PASS SYSTEM illuminates Canada’s hidden history of racial segregation. For over 60 years, the Canadian government often denied Indigenous peoples the basic freedom to leave their reserves without a pass. Acclaimed Cree and Métis actor and activist Tantoo Cardinal narrates this in-depth investigation into this illegal practice, with music by Cris Derksen.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in, the CBC livestream is now over! The film is available now for organizations, educational institutions and libraries by contacting [email protected]. It will also be available soon for individuals, so please drop a line to [email protected] to be kept in the loop! This investigative documentary illuminates Canada’s hidden history of racial segregation. For over 60 years, the Canadian government illegally denied many First Nations people the basic freedom to leave their reserves without a pass. For more information about the film: www.thepasssystem.ca

THE PASS SYSTEM will be broadcast across Canada on CBC Television's main network on Saturday, June 22 @ 7 PM in most areas - BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, & QC. 8 PM in the Maritimes, 8:30 in Newfoundland, 9 PM Iqaluit, 6 PM Whitehorse. Tune in! https://www.cbc.ca/programgui/program/the_pass_system_hd_/