✔︎ S-3 (Indian Act)

Bill

S-3: An Act to amend the Indian Act (elimination of sex-based inequities in registration) 

Senate Amendment.

Vote

Yea.

Rationale

This bill responds to the Descheneaux ruling. It will provide relief for 35,000 individuals waiting for their rights to be granted and enshrine additional procedural protections for individuals who are registering their child in circumstances where the other parent, or other relevant relatives, is unknown or unstated. Bill S-3, as passed by the House of Commons, remedied all sex-based discrimination in Indian Act registration since the modern Indian registry was created in 1951. The Government is now seeking to amend the legislation to also remedy sex-based inequities that existed between 1869 and 1951. With this new government amendment, which was passed by the Senate, Bill S-3 will remove all residual sex-based inequities from registration provisions in the Indian Act. The new amendment, dealing with the pre 1951 sex-based inequities, will be brought into force at a later date, after meaningful consultations and a comprehensive plan is developed in partnership with First Nations regarding its implementation.

Result

Passed.