The federal government is proposing legislation to restore status to thousands of First Nations families that lost it to obtain Canadian citizenship and protect their children from residential schools.
The move comes after 16 plaintiffs filed a constitutional challenge last year in the Supreme Court of British Columbia to end discrimination based on gender and the process of “enfranchisement” — of giving up First Nation status under the Indian Act.
The plaintiffs made a deal with Ottawa to put their litigation on hold while they provide input on the proposed legislation.
“For so many of my almost 70 years, I have not
