Amendments to Bill S-2 would end second-generation cutoff; vote held November 18, 2025
A Senate committee has voted 10–1 in favour of major amendments to Bill S-2 that would overhaul how Indian status is inherited under the Indian Act. The vote took place on November 18, 2025. Senators are supporting a move to eliminate the second-generation cutoff, a rule that causes families to lose status after two generations when only one parent has status. The committee is recommending a one-parent rule, meaning a child would have status as long as at least one parent does.
Indigenous advocates have long argued that the current system continues the discrimination created by earlier versions of the Indian Act. They say it breaks family lines, forces people to “age out” of their own identity, and weakens community connections.
If the House of Commons adopts the amendments, the change would significantly affect mixed-parentage Indigenous families across Canada, including many in Northern B.C. where questions about status affect community membership, housing eligibility, cultural rights, and access to services.
The bill will return to the House for debate and a final decision. Until then, families are watching closely to see whether long-promised reforms to status rules will finally become law.
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