I just signed the petition "Canadian Government: Remove all of the sex discrimination in the Indian status registration provisions of the Indian Act - Enough is Enough" on Change.org.
No More Failed Remedial Legislations to the Status Provisions of The Indian Act
Section 15 of The Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms states all Canadians have the right to live free
from sexual and racial discrimination, yet Canada refuses to remove the
sex discrimination in the Indian status registration provisions of The
Indian Act. Despite the long-time efforts of Indigenous women such as
Mary Two-Axe Early, Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell, Yvonne Bernard, and
Sandra Lovelace sex discrimination continues.
While The Indian Act was amended in
1985 to eliminate the sex discrimination against women who married
non-Indian men, Canada took advantage of this remedial process creating
the second-generation cut-off rule, and through applying this rule in a
detrimental way to the descendants of Indian women as compared to the
descendants of Indian men. In this way Canada manipulated the remedial
process.
Sharon McIvor furthered the effort,
where in 2011 The Indian Act was once again amended. Despite her 25
year effort Canada again manipulated the remedial process where as such
many issues remain. For example, the grandchildren of Indian women once
enfranchised, and born prior to September 4, 1951 continue to be
denied.
Further, many are unaware of the
matter or unknown and unstated paternity (also unreported, unnamed,
unacknowledged, unestablished, and unrecognized paternity).
Prior to the 1985 amendment to The
Indian Act provisions protected mothers and their children whose
father’s signature was not ascribed to the birth certificate − meaning
the child was the same as their Indian mother, a status Indian. Through
the 1985 remedial process Canada removed these provisions creating yet
another new form of sex discrimination. Today Canada assumes all
unknown fathers are non-Indian and this negatively affects the child’s
treaty rights such as housing, health care, and education. This policy
remains in situations of sexual violence such as rape, gang rape,
incest, prostitution, and sexual slavery. Lynn Gehl v. Attorney General
addresses this sex discrimination and it will be heard in court in May
2014.
Please sign this petition in support
of the call for Canada to end the manipulative practice of using the
remedial process of eliminating the sex discrimination in the Indian
status registration provisions of The Indian Act as an opportunity to
create new forms of sex discrimination in law, policy, and practice.
To learn more see: www.lynngehl.com
It's important. Will you sign it too? Here's the link:
http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/canadian-government-remove-all-of-the-sex-discrimination-in-the-indian-status-registration-provisions-of-the-indian-act-enough-is-enough?share_id=qjxmNzzdps&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition
Thanks!
Trace
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