By Casey Caines Photo by John Cameron  on Unsplash At the centre of Indian status and citizenship lies the pull between personal identity and state control. As Larry Gilbert writes, “[s]eeking and protecting one’s identity is a personal and a very human aspiration. It is seldom that the state intervenes and declares persons are not who they really are. That is the legacy and the reality of the Indian Act.” It is also the intersection at which many Nations sit as they work thr

Tawow! Today’s post will briefly touch on Bill S-2 . Specifically, the proposed amendments to the Indian Act  that seek to address ongoing inequities , such as those from former enfranchisement  provisions. The debate around Bill S-2  is extensive. Bill S-2’s proposed amendments include changes to enfranchisement, deregistration, home band membership, and specific offensive and outdated language.  If passed, Bill S-2 would change who has status under the Indian Act . It would

What is Indigenous law? What is Aboriginal law? One thing is certain - they are not the same thing. Sometimes Indigenous and Aboriginal law are conflated. Each are important and...

By Casey Caines While the recognition of Indigenous jurisdiction expands across Canada, the question of enforcement  remains one of the most persistent barriers to Indigenous justice systems. As Justice Canada’s Exploring Indigenous Justice Systems in Canada and Around the World  report found, there are significant barriers in enforcing Indigenous laws, or even bylaws under the Indian Act.  Similarly, the Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge, in partnership with the Indigenou