Indian Act

E105707

Canadian federal statute colonial legislation

The Indian Act is a Canadian federal law that has long governed and controlled many aspects of First Nations peoples’ lives, including their status, lands, and governance.

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All labels observed (5)

Label	Occurrences
Indian Act (Canada)	10
Indian Act canonical	8
Canadian Indian Act	1
Indian Act (for many First Nations people)	1
Indian Act of Canada	1

Statements (67)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Canadian federal statute ⓘ colonial legislation ⓘ
administeredBy	Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada ⓘ Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada ⓘ surface form: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Indigenous Services Canada ⓘ
affects	band council authority ⓘ collective land rights on reserves ⓘ inheritance of status across generations ⓘ
amendedBy	Bill C-3 (2011) ⓘ Bill C-31 (1985) ⓘ Bill S-3 (2017) ⓘ
appliesTo	First Nations ⓘ surface form: First Nations peoples in Canada
BillC31Effect	removed many gender-based status discrimination rules ⓘ restored status to many women and their children ⓘ
BillC3Effect	addressed residual gender discrimination in status rules ⓘ
BillS3Effect	further eliminated sex-based inequities in registration ⓘ
containsConcept	Indian agent ⓘ band ⓘ non-status Indian ⓘ reserve ⓘ status Indian ⓘ surrender of reserve lands ⓘ
country	Canada ⓘ
criticizedFor	assimilationist policies ⓘ control over cultural and spiritual practices ⓘ gender discrimination in status rules ⓘ paternalism ⓘ undermining Indigenous self-government ⓘ
currentDebate	repeal versus reform ⓘ transition to Indigenous self-government agreements ⓘ
dateEnacted	1876-04-12 ⓘ
doesNotApplyTo	Inuit ⓘ Métis ⓘ
enactedInYear	1876 ⓘ
governs	Indian moneys and trust funds ⓘ Indian reserves ⓘ band membership rules ⓘ bylaw-making powers of band councils ⓘ education provisions for status Indians ⓘ elections for band councils ⓘ legal definition of "Indian" in Canada ⓘ management of reserve lands ⓘ pass system historically used to control movement ⓘ wills and estates of status Indians on reserve ⓘ
historicallyImposed	Indian agents on reserves ⓘ pass system for leaving reserves ⓘ prohibition of traditional ceremonies ⓘ residential school attendance requirements ⓘ restrictions on political organizing ⓘ
historicallyProhibited	First Nations from voting in federal elections without enfranchisement ⓘ Potlatch ceremony ⓘ Sun Dance ⓘ surface form: Sun Dance ceremony hiring lawyers to pursue land claims ⓘ
jurisdiction	Parliament of Canada ⓘ
language	English ⓘ French ⓘ
legalCitation	R.S.C., 1985, c. I-5 ⓘ
legislativeBody	Parliament of Canada ⓘ
policyGoalAtEnactment	assimilation of First Nations into settler society ⓘ
primarySubject	First Nations band governance ⓘ Indian status ⓘ reserve lands ⓘ
relatedTo	Numbered Treaties ⓘ Royal Proclamation of 1763 ⓘ Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada ⓘ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ⓘ
revisedStatutesYear	1985 ⓘ

Referenced by (21)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

First Nations → relatedTo → Indian Act ⓘ

Munsee-Delaware Nation → isGovernedUnder → Indian Act ⓘ

Songhees Nation → recognizedUnder → Indian Act ⓘ

Numbered Treaties → relatedTo → Indian Act ⓘ

Aboriginal peoples of Canada → governedBy → Indian Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: Indian Act (for many First Nations people)

Penelakut Tribe → subjectTo → Indian Act ⓘ