Review Of Bill C-31: The Act To Amend The Indian Act

Canada has mistreated its Indigenous people for centuries. The Indian Act (1876) is just one of many ways the government forced their colonial ways of life onto the Indigenous people already living here. It was extremely sexist and gave the Indigenous people very little rights. Bill C-31: The Act to Amend the Indian Act, also known as the new Indian Act, was introduced in April of 1985 by the Canadian government to address the issues regarding discrimination within the Indian Act. The government created this bill with the intention to emphasize equality and give Indigenous communities more self-governing rights. A woman's Indian status is now determined by her own heritage instead of her husbands. This is a victory for many women but this also

Children who have parents that are both registered under Bill C-31 will be registered under section 6(1); children with only one parent registered under Bill C-31 are registered under section 6(2) and will have fewer rights than the children registered under 6(1). A lot of people registered under section 6(2) are children of women who were stripped of their status and had to get reinstated under this new bill. Many people who consider themselves to have indigenous heritage remain ineligible to be a Status Indian. These people include the descendants of those who previously had “half-breed” land or money script, those from families or bands that were left odd band lists or were never registered, and some women who gained status through marriage and then lost by divorce or other circumstances. This new category in which some Indigenous people are registered only continues the pattern of gender inequality. There are still so many people who deserve status that are not eligible to get

It removed clauses from the Indian Act that restrained a woman's ability to be registered and based their heritage on who they married but it was not a perfect remedy. Many women were forced to live new lives or lost their sense of identity. These women who are suffering have been heard and continue to suffer until Canada finds a better solution. A main goal of the Act to Amend the Indian Act was to give bands more self-governance and although they do have more power than they did from the Indian Act, they are still largely controlled by the government. Bands have also been strained on resources with the flux of Status Indians and they have been given no federal help. The new bill came with new problems. Many people are getting discriminated against based on which Act they have been registered under. A lot of people who were accepted before are now getting hate because their status has been taken away. A lot of people view the passing of this bill as a perfect permanent solution but neglect to see all the negatives that have come with it. Canada is trying to amend for their past mistakes but the passing of this bill does not make up for the decades of alienation and inequality Indigenous people have been faced with. The government should actively be trying to find another,