Deadline To Change Indian Act Might Be Pushed Back

Deadline To Change Indian Act Might Be Pushed Back

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 14:54

Indian Affairs is hoping to extend the length of time it has to amend the Indian Act.

The BC Supreme Court ruled the Act discriminates against the descendants of First Nations women who marry non-Native men.

The government’s proposed Bill C-3 could grant Indian status to an additional 45,000 people.

The original deadline the department has been operating under gave it until April 6th to fix wording in the document.

Officials with Indian Affairs won’t say how long the government wants to wait before instituting the changes, but spokesperson Margot Geduld confirms they would like to see that date set back.

NDP MP Jean Crowder says she thinks Ottawa wants to wait until June.

Crowder also says the government hasn’t properly consulted bands about the situation.