Roughly 3,500 new individuals could be eligible for Aboriginal Status, should a newly introduced piece of Federal legislation pass.
Bill C-38 seeks to address inequities in the registration and Band membership provisions in the Indian Act.
It would do so by addressing four target areas: enfranchisement, individual deregistration, natal band reaffiliation, and updating offensive language.
While it was eliminated in 1985, enfranchisement was an assimilation policy in the Act, through which many families lost their status registration and membership.
But despite its elimination, some descendants of families with a history of enfranchisement are still unable to register, something Bill C-38 seeks to rectify.
If passed, the Bill would also support the autonomy of those removing their names from the Register, and recognize acquired rights of all to membership with their natal Band.
You can read a full summary of the proposed changes at this link.
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