Status Up To First Nations, Not Feds: Lonechild

Status Up To First Nations, Not Feds: Lonechild

Monday, November 09, 2009 at 09:36

The chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says there is a “silver lining” to be found in the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Sharon McIvor’s legal appeal.

Guy Lonechild says he disagrees with the Supreme Court’s decision not to allow McIvor to push for further changes to the Indian Act’s definition of a status Indian, in order to allow women to pass on Indian status from generation to generation, even if their descendants marrying non-Aboriginal men.

However, Lonechild says the FSIN sees an opportunity to force Indian Affairs to look beyond the narrow parameters of legislation, and see that the nature of First Nations citizenship should not be determined by a federal statute.

“There are generations of people who have gone without — they have ceased to be treaty people or status people, as defined under the Indian Act. We’ve got both men and women who have lived their lives being discriminated against. The ‘silver lining’ of course is to find some remedies, so that First Nations can get on the right track, so that they can define who their members are,” he says.

Lonechild says FSIN officials will be meeting with Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl at the end of this month, and the issue of status versus citizenship will be high on the agenda.