For about a month, the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Affairs held hearings on a bill that amends the Indian Act.

In the end, they approved it without making any changes. That’s despite the fact that several Aboriginal witnesses criticized the bill.

For example, they didn’t like a clause requiring disputed elections to be settled in the courts. They suggested a tribunal instead.

But committee chair Gerry St. Germain says there are lots of problems with that idea:

“The problem with the tribunal (is) we asked several witnesses: ‘Should it be regional? Provincial? National?’ — and we really couldn’t get a straight answer on it.”

St. Germain points out the legislation is optional.  Bands don’t have to opt into it if they don’t want to.