Samenvatting

Ethnic minorities such as the Roma in Romania and the Indigenous peoples in Canada have struggled for centuries, suffering from discrimination and patronization by both their governments and society. In fact, they continue suffering from poor treatment. In order to address this, minority policies have been set into place to improve their situation. This paper analyses the position of the Roma in Romania and the Indigenous in Canada and examines some of the results of minority policies focused on these groups in their respective countries. The objective is to identify how new and existing policies can better contribute to improving the living conditions of these ethnic minorities. To answer this question, this research is structured by four research objectives, answered in different chapters of this thesis.
The literature review introduces the correct terminology, displays the existing literature and policies regarding the Roma and Indigenous, and tackles the question what minority policies are. To gather more specific information, this thesis focuses mainly on some of the most important strategies, namely, the National Roma Integration Strategy from 2001, Romania's Government Strategy for Inclusion of Romanian citizens belonging to Roma minority for the period 2012-2020, the Indian Act from 1876, and Bill C-92 that became law in 2019.
The results of these policies are presented in the findings section and are further assessed and interpreted in the analysis chapter. It can be established that progressive steps have been made, mainly in the fields of education, but that progress is still lacking in the areas regarding housing, access to justice, and child welfare. Besides, there is a lack of adequate funding for projects related to these areas.
This thesis concludes that the efforts of governments and civil society have not been sufficient, since they are focused on the integration of minorities instead of their inclusion into society. This means they are putting the responsibility of solving the conflicts only on the minorities, without involving civil society. Therefore, this research recommends a change of perspective from policy makers, increased cooperation between stakeholders, and a stronger focus on the notion of inclusion of minorities.