Court rules Metis, off-reserve aboriginals qualify as 'Indians'
Published Tuesday, January 8, 2013 10:03AM EST Last Updated
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 10:12PM EST The Federal Court ruled
Tuesday that Metis and non-status Indians qualify as "Indians"
under the Constitution Act of 1867, and therefore fall under the
jurisdiction of the federal government. Both groups had been in
a sort of jurisdictional limbo for decades. Metis leader Harry
Daniels-- the now-deceased plaintiff in the case-- had sought to
have the court clarify whether Ottawa or the provinces were
responsible for the more than 600,000 aboriginal peoples across
Canada who are either Metis or live off-reserve. Daniels wanted
all natives to be declared “Indians” according to the legal
definition– a request that was granted with Tuesday’s ruling.
“Today’s decision will mark a new relationship with the
government of Canada,” said Betty Ann Lavallee, national chief
of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. “This case was all about
fairness, dignity and self