By Alessia Passafiume and David Baxter Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty told hundreds of chiefs in Ottawa Wednesday she is committed to reforming First Nations status under the Indian Act \u2014 but she doesn’t agree with changes made by senators to a piece of legislation she once backed. Speaking during the Assembly of First Nations’ three-day gathering, Gull-Masty said she’s in a unique position as a Cree woman administering a piece of legislation that gives the federal government control over the lives of First Nations peoples. She said she understands the concerns chiefs have with the law in its current form. Bill S-2, introduced in the Senate with support from the Liberal government, was drafted to eliminate some gender inequities in the Indian Act and allow about 6,000 people to… <\/p>\n
By Alessia Passafiume and David Baxter Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty told hundreds of chiefs in Ottawa Wednesday she is committed to reforming First Nations status under the Indian Act \u2014 but she doesn’t agree with changes made by senators to a piece of legislation she once backed. Speaking during the Assembly of First Nations’ three-day gathering, Gull-Masty said she’s in a unique position as a Cree woman administering a piece of legislation that gives the federal government control over the lives of First Nations peoples. She said she understands the concerns chiefs have with the law in its current form. Bill S-2, introduced in the Senate with support from the Liberal government, was drafted to eliminate some gender inequities in the Indian Act and allow about 6,000 people to... <\/p>\n