Overview
- The Senate unanimously amended Bill S-2 to remove the second-generation cutoff so a child can inherit First Nations status if one parent is registered, and the measure is now under clause-by-clause review in the House committee.
- House committee debate intensified on Thursday as Conservative MPs moved to end debate quickly but Liberal committee and House majorities can block any rushed passage.
- Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says she supports eliminating the cutoff in principle but wants more consultations with First Nations before the government adopts the Senate amendment.
- First Nations leaders, senators and advocates held marches and press conferences and cited a UN technical paper plus a B.C. court ruling and looming deadlines to demand the Senate text be passed before Parliament's scheduled June 19 recess.
- If adopted, the change would directly restore status to roughly 3,500 people; supporters say over 500 First Nations and more than 14,000 petitioners back the one-parent rule while the government warns of fiscal, jurisdictional and consultation complexities that still need resolving.