What we support and defend

[Dayuhan]

Yes, the British dealt with each in curiously similar ways, we left Palestine after a rather grim attempt to "keep the peace" between Arab and Jew; in Rhodesia we left the population to resolve "majority rule" themselves - which they did bloodily - and not to overlook Rhodesia was a self-governing colony.

You could add Ireland too; with the dispute over the Protestant minority wishing to remain British in Northern Ireland after Ireland achieved independence. This time we fought several campaigns, the longest being 1969-1998 'The Troubles', until the communities were able to make a compromise that gave peace (very short summary).

You might also cite Australia, new Zealand, and Canada as cases where "settler colonialism" made an orderly transition to independence. One lesson that a historian might deduce is that orderly transition is easier when the indigenous population is either exterminated or utterly marginalized. That's not a guarantee of orderly transition (didn't work with the US) but it seems conducive to orderly transition.

Fortunately settler colonialism is no longer in vogue, so there's nobody left to apply that particular lesson!

[ganulv]

You might also cite Australia, new Zealand, and Canada as cases where "settler colonialism" made an orderly transition to independence. One lesson that a historian might deduce is that orderly transition is easier when the indigenous population is either exterminated or utterly marginalized. That's not a guarantee of orderly transition (didn't work with the US) but it seems conducive to orderly transition.

but in my view there has been a real effort by the Canadian federal government to not marginalize native peoples (4% of their population, which to me as someone who grew up in a native community in the States seems like a relatively large percentage). Nunavut is something of an experiment in indigenous self-rule, and in 2008 Stephen Harper (of all people!) made what I felt was a substantive and non-pandering public apology for the Canadian residential school policy. The idea that there are and will continue to be different kinds of Canadians is central to contemporary confederation. Part of the work of Canadian governance is dealing with the legacy of not just one but rather two settler societies. There have been some less–than–orderly patches to navigate related to that fact more recently than a lot of Americans may realize.

[Dayuhan]

but in my view there has been a real effort by the Canadian federal government to not marginalize native peoples (4% of their population, which to me as someone who grew up in a native community in the States seems like a relatively large percentage).

Some people I know would argue over the extent and sincerity of that effort. I'd be more inclined to point out that the effort came well after the orderly transition, and that it's mostly an attempt to compensate for and potentially reverse the marginalization of the past.

How much influence did indigenous people have over Canada's current political structure and its relationship with its former colonial master?

[ganulv]

Some people I know would argue over the extent and sincerity of that effort. I'd be more inclined to point out that the effort came well after the orderly transition, and that it's mostly an attempt to compensate for and potentially reverse the marginalization of the past.

How much influence did indigenous people have over Canada's current political structure and its relationship with its former colonial master?

I know less about how natives shaped Canada than I do about the shape of the relationships between the various parties to Canadian governance and individual First Nations. Indigenous affairs are on a nation-to-nation basis in Canada with the monarch as intermediary. A non-trivial quirk: Canadian federalism works in such a way that the Crown is so-to-speak “divided” amongst the provinces. You have issues stemming from nations within (or is it surrounded by?) a larger nation, including but not limited to issues of citizenship. You have other issues, too, of course…