Seeking alternatives to Bill C-31 : Révision du projet de loi C-31 : le droit coutumier comme remède au traumatisme culturel et outil de revitalisation culturelle

This document expresses the views of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official policy of Status of Women Canada or the Government of Canada. [...] Specialists in the field anonymously review each paper and provide comments on: • The accuracy, completeness and timeliness of the information presented; • The extent to which the methodology used and the data collected support the analysis and recommendations; • The original contribution the report would make to existing work on this subject, and its usefulness to equality-seeking organizations, [...] During the same period, two women’s organizations, Indian Rights for Indian Women (IRIW) and the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) led the fight for amendments to sexually discriminatory provisions in the Indian Act and to protect women’s equality rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [...] To prohibit a child from identifying with and membership in her First Nation of origin violates both the Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. [...] In the 1940s, Canada made efforts to ameliorate some of the oppressive aspects of the Act for women; in its major overhaul of the Act in 1951, women gained the right to vote and run in band council elections.