QUESTION PERIOD — Crown-Indigenous Relations
Elimination of Sex-Based Inequities
June 13, 2019
Honourable senators, my question is to the representative of the government, Senator Harder.
Yesterday, Minister Bennett tabled the report to Parliament on the collaborative process on Indian registration, band membership and First Nation citizenship.
The report states that the provision to remove the 1951 cut-off in the Indian Act “will come into force at a later date, once an implementation plan is developed.”
What? My full question to Senator Harder is as follows: Since equal rights for Indigenous women were just considered a top priority in the recently released Final Report by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, is there an explanation as to why the government has failed to take action? Why is Canada choosing to perpetuate sex-based inequities that are cleaned up already in the Indian Act as a result of the Senate-led amendments to the Indian Act from Bill S-3 and that are sitting there not implemented? When does the government plan to actually take action and implement and follow up on these promises to Indigenous women?
Again, I thank the honourable senator for her question and for all honourable senators who have had a keen interest in this area and indeed in the amendments that were brought forward with respect to Bill S-3.
The report that was tabled was part of the commitments made by the government in the context of that debate, as the honourable senator will know. With respect to the specific question being asked, I will make inquiries of the minister. Her report was intended to be a transparent reflection of the views of the minister at this point.
