Abolish The Indian Act
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is right.
It's time to abolish the Indian Act.
Speaking at a meeting between First Nations leaders, provincial premiers, and Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa, Kinew called for an end to the law that has governed First Nations status and aspects of First Nations life in Canada since 1876.
Kinew held up his own First Nations status card, which identifies him as an “Indian within the meaning of the Indian Act,” and argued that Canada needs a relationship with Indigenous Peoples that reflects who we are as Canadians today.
We agree.
Canada should be a country where everyone is equal under the law.
Our rights and freedoms should not depend on our race or ancestry.
A person's legal standing should not be determined by a system that categorizes Canadians according to their heritage.
But getting rid of the Indian Act is only part of the challenge.
What comes next matters just as much.
Repeal must not become an excuse to replace one discriminatory system with another.
We should not trade one set of race-based rules for a new set of rules that continues to divide Canadians according to ancestry.
We do not need to preserve discriminatory laws simply because they have existed for generations.
Nor should we accept a new system that perpetuates discrimination under a different name.
We are all Canadians.
Our shared future should be built on equal rights, equal protection under the law, and respect for the freedoms of every individual.
If you agree, please sign the petition calling on the federal government to Abolish The Indian Act: