Courts Will Decide Indian Status Issue: Prentice

Courts Will Decide Indian Status Issue: Prentice

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 14:41

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice says it’s up to the courts to determine who qualifies as a status Indian in Canada.

Recently, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled Ottawa’s rules on who qualified as a status Indian are too strict, because they don’t properly acknowledge Aboriginal people who trace their lineage through their mother.

The ruling could have huge implications for thousands of Aboriginal people who contend they are status Indians.

Prentice says he doesn’t see the matter as a win-or-lose situation for Ottawa.

But he believes the government will still likely appeal the decision.

Prentice says he thinks most people would agree the matter is best left up to the courts.