Indian Act: Selected Resources: Selected Books, Reports, and Web Sites

Resources about Bill C- 3. This bill amended the Indian Act so that eligible grandchildren of women who lost status as a result of marrying non-Indian men became entitled to registration (Indian status).

Among other measures, the "White paper" advocated repealing the Indian Act and ending the federal government's responsibility towards First Nations. Most First Nations peoples across Canada interpreted the White paper as a road map for assimilation and vehemently opposed it until it was withdrawn in 1970.

In 1991, the Government of Canada launched a study of issues affecting Aboriginal Peoples. Five years in the making, the Report of the Royal Commission covers the history and experiences of Aboriginal Peoples from first contact to contemporary times and makes recommendations for a renewed relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the peoples of Canada.

Prior to writing the Report, the Commission visited Aboriginal communities across Canada and heard briefs from over 2000 individuals and organizations. The Aboriginal Peoples’ Transcripts Online contains the documentation gathered during this initial phase of the Commission’s work.

See:

- Volume 1, Part two, Chapter 9: False Assumptions and a Failed Relationship: The Indian Act

- Volume 4, Chapter 2: Perspectives and Realities: Women's Perspectives

See notes under The RCAP Transcripts Online (above) for a brief explanation about the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

In 1985, with the passage of Bill C-31, changes were made to the Indian Act to address some, but not all, issues of sex discrimination. “Current to October 17, 2013. Last amended on April 1, 2013.”

The Unjust Society was activist Harold Cardinal's response to the 1969 White Paper on Indian Policy. Considered to be a rallying cry in the subsequent resistance of First Nations peoples to the White paper. In his book, Cardinal examines the oppressive nature of the Indian Act but argues that, in the absence of an alternative plan to honour Aboriginal rights, First Nations are not amenable to the Indian Act being abolished.

This "Red Paper" response to the "White paper" was presented to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau by the Indian Chiefs of Alberta.

The Indian History Film Project is an archive of over 1000 interviews conducted with First Nations elders on a variety of topics. Once you are linked to the project collection, enter Indian Act into the "Search within this collection" text box which appears.

The Film Project is part of the University of Regina's oURspace digital repository which is available through the Library website. Find additional resources in oURspace by entering "Indian Act" in the general oURspace search box.

Information about how the Indian Act and ammendments affect women and their children is available on the Native Women’s Association web site at http://www.nwac.ca/home
Try entering Indian Act, Bill C-31, or Bill C-3 into the search box on the home page.

Chapter nine, "Indian rights for Indian women: changing the Indian Act", consists of several short interviews with First Nations activists who challenged discrimination against women and their children contained in the Indian Act.

Contains the original Indian Act of 1876 and amendments up until 1972 as well as other pertinent documents. Useful for tracing amendments to the Act.

Provides, in chronological order, the full text of the Indian Acts of Canada from the time of Confederation to 1970. Amendments to each Act are inserted immediately following the original section along with the corresponding amendment citation. A subject index at the beginning of the work guides the reader to sections in the various Acts and amendments pertaining to a given topic.