The Indian Act & Truth and Reconciliation

            Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse with Prime Minister Mark Carney 

This past Monday First Nations Leaders met with Canada's first ministers, including Prime Minister Mark Carney. This was the first time a meeting with a primary focus on Indigenous issues and concerns has occurred in two decades. While this was an important initiative it came about, in part. because of the growing concern that the federal government's legislation to fast-track "projects of national concern" will run roughshod over Indigenous treaties and rights. 

During a media scrum during a break in the meeting in Ottawa Premier Wab Kinew of Manitoba, the only Indigenous premier in the country held up his status card and called on the Canadian government to abolish the 150 year old Indian Act. 

I am a big fan of Kinew but there has been some criticism, justified I think, that this moment diverted attention away from substantive issues on the table for this meeting. PM Carney agreed that the Indian Act in racist and seemed open to its abolition. This was a low-risk comment in some respects because nothing needs to happen immediately. In fact, the first proposal to ditch the Indian Act came in 1969 under the first PM Trudeau, Pierre, when Jean Chretien was the Minister of Indian Affairs. It was withdrawn within a year because the fine print indicated that Indigenous peoples would be worse off because existing treaties would come to an end. "Indian" leaders were opposed back then and similar concerns were expressed following Kinew's comments on Monday. 

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak at the AFN's Day of Ceremony on Sunday. (Brett Forester/CBC News)

The Indian Act is racist. It was designed to control Indigenous peoples in every aspect of their lives. They weren't allowed to leave a reserve without permission from the Indian Agent, always a white person. If an Indigenous woman married off reserve she lost her status and the benefits which derived from it. Sometimes the Indian Agent was a clergy person so the suffocating control extended to religion, including the shameful Residential School system. The national police force, the RCMP was enlisted to enforce the regulations and restrictions. 

To say that the Indian Act should be abolished may be true in general terms but the complexity of bringing this about in a way to ensure justice, dignity, and financial fairness will require a deep commitment a succession of governments hasn't been prepared to make. Removing one system, no matter how unjust, requires a clear path to something better.

 The United Church of Canada is committed to Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, recognizing our own racist past. It's important to pay attention to what is happening here and now.