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Kinew holds up status card in call to abolish Indian Act

The Manitoba premier says any move beyond the law must involve First Nations governments, linking reform to Canada's human-rights commitments.

Channel: CBC News ·

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Abolishing Indian Act 'long overdue': Wab Kinew

Holding his status card above the microphones in Ottawa, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew questioned why Canada still issues identification defining someone as an "Indian within the meaning of the Indian Act."

"I'm not sure if that lines up with your vision of Canada, that we still have a race-based form of identification..." he said in footage carried by Canada's CBC News, the news service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The Indian Act is a federal law governing registered First Nations status and many aspects of reserve land and First Nations governance. Kinew used his own card to make a broader argument: Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples should reflect the country it is today, rather than continue under that framework.

"I think it's time to abolish the Indian Act, get rid of the Indian Act, move past the Indian Act," he said. Speaking after Monday's First Nations-first ministers' meeting, he said he had raised the issue with colleagues and emphasized that First Nations governments must be involved.

Kinew also drew a contrast with Prime Minister Mark Carney's advocacy abroad for human rights and democracy. Maintaining the Indian Act at home, he argued, was inconsistent with those positions.

He described an open-minded reception from colleagues and expressed hope for reconciliation in a Canada where some citizens no longer carry identity documents based on who they are. The remarks set out his case for change, rather than a timetable or a replacement for the law.

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