The Senate unanimously voted on Thursday to progress Bill S-2 by introducing an amendment that advocates for the elimination of the second-generation cut-off provision from the Indian Act. The motion secured a 63-0 vote in favor, with eight senators abstaining.
Paul Prosper, a Mi’kmaw senator from Nova Scotia, expressed his astonishment at the opportunity to propose the removal of subsection 6(2) of the Indian Act during a Senate committee session. Subsection 6(2, also known as the second-generation cut-off, was incorporated into the act in 1985, preventing children from obtaining Indian status after two generations of having a non-status parent.
Originally aimed at addressing lingering gender-based discrimination in registration linked to historical enfranchisement, Bill S-2 underwent modifications following emotional testimonies from First Nations leaders, advocates, and community members at the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous People. These testimonies shed light on how the second-generation cut-off had caused rifts within families and negatively impacted communities.
The amendments to the bill now seek to abolish the second-generation cut-off and reinstate a one-parent rule for status eligibility. Prosper emphasized to the Senate that these changes could potentially impact around 300,000 individuals over the next four decades.
Before the vote, Senator Jane McCallum, a member of the Barren Lands First Nation in Manitoba, urged her fellow senators to support the revised bill, particularly emphasizing solidarity with First Nations women and children.
Following the Senate’s approval of Bill S-2, the legislation will proceed to the House of Commons for further deliberation and a vote on whether to endorse the Senate’s modifications.