Parliament is being urged by the Senate to pass Bill S-2. As amended by the Senate, this bill would, among other things, end the so-called “second generation cut-off” rule. These were changes to the Indian Act introduced in 1985 to prevent the transfer of status to a person who has at least one grandparent and one parent who does not have status — the so-called “second generation cutoff.” If passed by Parliament, S-2 is projected to add approximately 300,000 new registrants to the Indian Act status list by 2066. These amendments are estimated to result in at least $1 billion in annual benefit expenditures, driven primarily by the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program and post-secondary funding.
GIESBRECHT: The list of ‘status’ Indians is growing longer
