With Parliament set to rise in less than two weeks, First Nations leaders from across Manitoba gathered in Winnipeg to demand action on Bill S-2.
They say the legislation, known as the An Act to amend the Indian Act, would help end discriminatory status rules that continue to affect children, grandchildren and families today.
More than a year after Bill S-2 was introduced, First Nations leaders urged the Parliament to pass the legislation before the House rises for the summer.
“First Nations women, families, leaders, and advocates have done their part and now Parliament must do its part and there is no justification for further delay on passing Bill S2,” said Grand Chief Kyra Wilson, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
“Before the vote is called, it’s very important that Prime Minister Carney forming a law of free vote in the House of Commons, which all Liberal MPs and cabinet ministers are free to vote as they say fit, including to vote their conscience,” Regional Chief Willie Moore, Assembly of First Nations.
“Someone in Ottawa sitting in a cubicle shouldn’t be deciding who we are when they have no idea where we are on the map. They have no idea. They’ve never set foot in our nations. They don’t know. So how can they determine who we are and who our people are,” said Chief Lisa Young, Bloodvein First Nation.
The bill would remove the second-generation cut-off, a rule that can prevent status entitlement from being passed on to future generations. For many leaders, the issue is personal.
“It has a negative impact on our young people,” Wilson said. “I can say that for a fact because I see it within my own child where she continually asks, ‘Why am I not registered?’”
“To have someone determine that they are not our treaty, they are not status. Why would we want that?,” said Chief Betsy Kennedy of the War Lake First Nation.
“If we allow this to continue, seven generations down the road, will there be any treaty people left in this nation?” said Grand Chief Garrison Settee of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak.
In a statement, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says Bill S-2 would immediately restore status to 3,500 people and address long-standing inequities under the Indian Act.
The ministry says the federal government remains committed to addressing the second-generation cut-off but wants to continue consultations with First Nations on possible solutions before moving forward with broader reform.
“It is a critical and deeply personal issue for many individuals, families and communities, and addressing it meaningfully is an important part of advancing reconciliation,” the ministry said.