The House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs met to study Bill S-2, which addresses inequities in Indian Act registration. Witnesses included Patty Fraser, Joshua Wesley Havill, Marilyn Slett, Jeremiah Johnson, Jo-Anne Green, Lynda Price, Carey Price, Lorrie Stedel, and Dave Lamouche.
Patty Fraser, granddaughter of Ruby Starlight-Fraser, described how her grandmother was enfranchised in 1952 after marrying a Métis man, losing status and community, and how only four of Ruby's 45 grandchildren were born with status. She argued that Bill S-2 does not restore identity or belonging, and urged the committee to consider the human consequences of the system.
Joshua Wesley Havill, whose grandmother was forcibly enfranchised at age five in 1939, explained that the second-generation cut-off prevents him and his children from obtaining status, despite his father holding subsection 6(2) status. He noted that his son Maverick, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, would qualify for Jordan's Principle if Bill S-2 passes with the one-parent rule, and he urged the committee to pass the bill.
Marilyn Slett, representing the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, called for the removal of the second-generation cut-off, arguing that sex discrimination in the Indian Act is a root cause of violence against Indigenous women and that first nations have been consulted for decades. She stated that costs and administrative barriers are not a reason to deny charter rights, and that the government cannot weaponize consultation to delay action on human rights violations.
Jeremiah Johnson, representing the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, opposed Bill S-2, arguing it reinforces federal control over Indigenous identity and fails to address the core problem of Canada's interference in Indigenous jurisdiction. He noted that adding thousands to the registrar without guaranteed funding increases would burden communities, and he called for Canada to maintain a separate general registry while respecting Kahnawà:ke's own citizenship law.
Jo-Anne Green, a private investigator of Algonquin and Nipissing descent, described her family's decades-long struggle to obtain status and how the second-generation cut-off creates barriers to funding for training, employment, and education. She asked that Bill S-2 be passed as amended by the Senate.
Lynda Price, a former chief of Ulkatcho First Nation, presented a chart showing that her grandchildren were denied status under the second-generation cut-off while her brother's grandchildren, with identical genealogy, were registered. She argued this breaches section 15 of the Charter and asked the committee to support the Senate amendments, noting that consultation has been ongoing for decades.
Carey Price, professional hockey player and member of Ulkatcho First Nation, testified that his children were denied status despite having the same genealogy as his cousin's children, who were registered. He requested that the committee address this inequality and discrimination in the legislation.
Lorrie Stedel, a member of Tsilhqot’in Nation, described how her grandfather enfranchised in 1945 after his daughter died at residential school, and how her mother and siblings were classified under subsection 6(2), creating two classes within the same family. She urged the committee to eliminate the second-generation cut-off to stop the ongoing impact of forced enfranchisement.
Dave Lamouche, President of the Métis Settlements General Council, supported the deregistration provision in Bill S-2, which would allow individuals to opt out of Indian status. He explained that many Métis individuals are registered as status Indians without their consent, which excludes them from Métis settlement membership, and that the provision supports individual choice and aligns with the Supreme Court's direction in Cunningham.
The committee also heard from Senator Mary Jane McCallum, who defended the Senate's amendments to Bill S-2, arguing that the second-generation cut-off is discriminatory and that the Senate has a duty to protect underrepresented groups. She stated that the government representative in the Senate pressured the committee not to amend the bill, and that the Prime Minister had said he did not want amendments. Later, a member read into the record that the only mentions of the Prime Minister in Senate testimony were from Minister Gull-Masty, who said the Prime Minister chose her to do this work and appointed her.
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