By Alessia Passafiume Senators have passed sweeping amendments to a bill that would simplify the transfer of First Nations status between generations, rejecting the federal government’s advice to limit its scope. Bill S-2, introduced in the Senate with support by the Liberal government, was drafted to eliminate some gender inequities in the Indian Act and allow some 6,000 people to become eligible for First Nations status. Some senators and Indigenous community leaders said the bill didn’t go far enough. On Tuesday, senators changed the legislation to eliminate what is known as the “second-generation cutoff,” opting instead for a one-parent rule that would allow First Nations status to be transferred to a child if one of their parents is enrolled. The second-generation cutoff, which came from a 1985 amendment to the…
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