I only recently learned that Canada has "reserves" for Native Americans, which appear generally equivalent to reservations in the United States; were these deliberately modeled on or inspired by the US, or did the Canadian government arrive at this system independently? Were indigenous nations forcibly removed to and kept within these reserves, as in the US, or was it a more peaceful process?
Kwe,
Reserves in Canada were created before the first US reserves, even before the US themselves. The first to establish reserves were the French when what is now Eastern Canada was New France (1534-1763).
Most Indigenous peoples living on the territorie claimed by the French were nomadic or semi-nomadic. Algonquian peoples usually aggregated in villages at strategic locations during Summer. It was during that season that most missionary work was made (it was easier to find people to convert when they were in villages). Missionaries were mainly Jesuits. They translated the Bible, they studied the peoples, they learned the languages, etc. But, in their mind, a true Christian is sedentary. As such, they looked at the work of their brothers in the Spanish colonies. In South America, they created reductions were the ''Savages'' could be ''civilized''. So, they created the réduction of Sillery near Québec in 1638. It was the first reserve in today's Canada. This model was used again and again, in places like Oka or Sainte-Marie-des-Hurons.
With the British conquest, Catholicism was, for a short time, illegal. Furthermore, in the years after the conquest of New France, the Indigenous peoples were seen as a buffer to control colonists of the Thirteen Colonies, and after the independance of the US, of the Usanians. Most of the lands South of the Great Lakes were reserved for the Indians with the Royala Proclamation of 1763 and the Queec Act. The Royal Proclamation also enshrined the need to make treaties with the Indians before taking their lands. Things changed with the Western expansion. Indigenous peoples were now a problem and they created reserves. Canada inherited of this method and officialized it with the Indian Act (1876). This is one of the reasons why you see way more reserves in Western Canada than in Eastern Canada. Even though the creation of most reserves in the West were agreed upon with treaties, the legitimacy of the treaties can be argued.
The reserves were more peacuful integration with the Jesuits, as the French had relatively peaceful relations. The goal was to assimilate the ''Sauvages''. However, the British were far more violent. Sometimes, reserves were created after wars, other times, with economic, social or political pressures. But the Catholic Church (mostly French/French Canadian or Irish) participated in the creation and mangement of the reserves, so the Church was not that peaceful. Today, reserves are still created, but usually it is by the Courts forcing Canada to reserve some lands to Indigenous peoples.
In conclusion, Canada was not inspired by the US for the creation of reserves. They were reserves ultimately,inspired by the Spanish Jesuits. However, the process was similar to the US, as you had Spanish missions and more ''Anglo-Saxon'' reserves.