The federal government is staying mum about why it decided to appeal a case involving jurisdiction of Metis and Non-status Indians.
This week the Federal Court of Appeal heard arguments from Ottawa and lawyers for the two groups.
The case was sparked by Harry Daniels, a well-known Saskatchewan activist who fought for the rights of both non-status people and the Metis.
He has since passed on but the case has made it to the federal stage.
In January of this year a Federal court judge ruled that Metis and Non-Status should be recognized as “Indians” under section 91:24 of the 1867 Constitution.
Then, on February 6th, Ottawa decided to appeal the ruling.
In an email to MBC news the government says Canada’s decision to move forward with this appeal had not been taken lightly and is the result of careful consideration.
However it won’t comment about the reasons why it decided to appeal.
The Appeal Court isn’t expected to render a decision for several months.