Aboriginal Law Report

With a court imposed deadline fast approaching, the federal government's proposed amendments to the Indian Act registration provisions have run into a snag in the Senate.

• Senators amend legislation aimed at removing sexism from Indian Act
• Changes to Canada’s Indian Act could give up to 2 million people Indian status

Elijah Harper's opposition to the Meech Lake Accord was remembered.

• Canada 150: When a man with an eagle feather thwarted the high and mighty

Here's a useful primer for the convoluted National Energy Board Energy East hearings.

• Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about the NEB hearings

While the Liberals, NDP and Greens in British Columbia jockey to form a new government, speculation builds around the fate of the Kinder Morgan pipeline project.

• Here is why B.C. must do its own review of the Trans Mountain pipeline

In Australia, Indigenous people rejected symbolic constitutional recognition.

• Listening to the heart: what now for Indigenous recognition after the Uluru summit?

Indigenous people from across the country are interested to find out how they fit into the Canadian Museum of History's new Canadian History Hall.

• Canadian Museum of History aims to avoid CBC’s pitfalls with new exhibit

Prince Edward Island Mi'kmaq held an Aboriginal Awareness Week.

• 'We want people to see who we are': Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. opens doors for awareness week

Manitoba finally has a new Treaty Commissioner.

• Treaty commissioner for Manitoba named after year-long vacancy
• Loretta Ross named new Manitoba treaty commissioner

The annual general meeting of one of Canada's most infamous mining company's was targeted by protesters.

• Protesters removed from Imperial Metals' annual conference

Those in Winnipeg and Ottawa will have the opportunity to attend a performance of Making Treaty 7.

• Southern Alberta history takes centre stage as Making Treaty 7 goes national

Here's the story of one residential school survivor.

• Canada 150: Residential school experience helped create Ed John's indigenous activism

From the Courts

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal again rebuked the federal government for its failure to provide adequate health care services to Indigenous people.

• Indigenous children’s health care still lacking, human rights tribunal finds
• Ottawa slammed again for indigenous children’s care
• First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada et al. v. Attorney General of Canada, 2017 CHRT 14

The Supreme Court heard arguments on the fate of residential school records collected through the Independent Assessment Process.

• Fate of residential school records in hands of Supreme Court
• Residential school survivors should decide fate of documents: FSIN

Seventeen years after the Supreme Court's Musqueam Indian Band decision, disagreement continues over rents on Musqueam reserve lands.

• Musqueam reserve residents win court challenge over proposed 800% rent increase.
• Vancouver leaseholders on Musqueam reserve lands win court fight against huge rent increases
• Hodgson v. Musqueam Indian Band, 2017 FC 509

Quote of the Week

"No."

Elijah Harper (1990)

Off the Bookshelf

“Ignorance gives one a large range of probabilities.”

George Eliot, Daniel Deronda (1876)

Bruce McIvor, lawyer and historian, is principal of First Peoples Law Corporation.  Download Bruce's bio.

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