A Quebec court has struck down part of a law on Indian status that has existed for 30 years, giving the federal government 18 months to make changes.
The court says Indian men and women are still not treated equally when it comes to maintaining treaty status when they marry non-status Indians.
At issue is the status of grandchildren in such marriages.
It was lost for the descendants of Indian women, but not for Indian men.
The Indian Act was changed in 1985 and amended again in 2010, but the Quebec Superior Court says the changes do not go far enough in protecting the treaty rights of children and grandchildren.
Chief Denis Landry of the Abenaki First Nation in Quebec says instead of appealing the decision the federal government should work to end the discrimination it created.
Ottawa has 30 days to appeal.