Onion Lake Cree Nation residents rally to raise awareness about First Nations citizenship

Kerry Benjoe - Regina Leader Post

REGINA — A delegation from Onion Lake Cree Nation rallied at the Legislative Building on Thursday to raise awareness about First Nations citizenship.

Chief Wallace Fox said he wants to bring the issue to the forefront, adding proposed changes to the Indian Act do not sit well with First Nations. That's why members of Onion Lake, located 50 kilometres north of Lloydminster, decided to hold a peaceful demonstration in Regina.

"(We wanted) to create awareness within the general public of us maintaining the right to determine who is a citizen of our nation," he said.

Fox explained that Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is changing the definition of citizenship by amending the Indian Act, which defines who is eligible to be registered as a Status Indian.

Sharon McIvor, did not agree with the Indian Act's definition and took Canada to court. Her claim was that certain registration provisions of the Indian Act are unconstitutional because they violate the equality provision of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In April, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in McIvor's favour and gave INAC one year to amend the Indian Act.

"We are in the 11th hour," Fox said, adding that in five months time INAC is going to change its definition of who is a Status Indian. "We need to be proactive rather than reactive."

He believes First Nations should have some input into who can be a member of a First Nation.

"How can a government decide who is a citizen of a certain tribe?" said Fox. "That is an inherent right given to us by the Creator of our people."

He said Onion Lake has already developed its own citizenship act, as have other First Nations and would like the government to take those into consideration before making a unilateral decision that will affect all First Nations.

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