Title: MP Cautions Senators on Indian Act Changes Without Input

OTTAWA — A Liberal MP has expressed concerns to a Senate committee about proposed changes to the Indian Act, warning that these alterations could be detrimental if they proceed without input from the House of Commons. The committee is currently reviewing legislation aimed at addressing gender inequities within the Indian Act, which would allow approximately 6,000 individuals to gain eligibility for First Nations status.

During testimony on October 1, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and other witnesses acknowledged that while the proposed legislation is a positive initial step, significant issues of sex-based discrimination remain entrenched in the Indian Act. They urged senators to consider expanding eligibility for First Nations status to a broader group of individuals.

Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, who serves on the House of Commons committee focused on Indigenous issues, cautioned against making sweeping changes in the Senate. "It’s not something that we should rush into and put an amendment (in) that potentially impacts generations of First Nations status Indians," Battiste stated. He emphasized that First Nations identity is a complex matter and that any extension of status should involve comprehensive consultations with Indigenous communities.

Battiste mentioned that the Commons committee could examine the inequities present in the Indian Act in the coming year. This timeline would allow the Assembly of First Nations to discuss potential changes to status eligibility at their upcoming gathering in December, which could inform the work of MPs.

Some First Nations leaders have raised alarms about the so-called "second-generation cutoff" in the Indian Act. This provision, established by a 1985 amendment, restricts individuals from registering for status if both a parent and a grandparent lack status. Critics argue that this could lead to communities losing their federally recognized members in future generations, effectively threatening their rights as distinct peoples.

Marilyn Slett, the elected chief of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council and secretary-treasurer of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, voiced her concerns during the Senate hearing. "We are being subjected to mathematical genocide, and we are projected to be legally extinct in a matter of three to four generations," Slett said. She highlighted the ongoing harm faced by women and children who are denied compensation due to sex- and race-based discrimination, which results in disconnection from their land, families, communities, cultures, languages, and identities. Slett called for proactive measures to address these harms and ensure reparations.