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Only self-government can address First Nations citizenship

Nipissing First Nation News Release ******************** First Nations citizens will never disappear so long as they retain their inherent right to manage their own affairs.
Nipissing First Nation
News Release

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First Nations citizens will never disappear so long as they retain their inherent right to manage their own affairs.

Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief John Beaucage was responding to a CBC news report based on studies that project the extinction of so-called "Status Indians" within six generations.

"This is not news to us," said Beaucage, speaking on behalf of 42 Anishinabek First Nations. "But Stewart Clatworthy's studies are based on an outdated premise -- that the primary definition of First Nation citizenship will be determined by the Indian Act, a 131-year-old colonial document that even the Government of Canada says needs to be tossed out."

"The right to determine our own citizenship is at the heart of our self-government negotiations," said the Grand Council Chief, who said he will be broaching the topic with Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl in the next few weeks as part of discussions about the establishment of a new Anishinabek Nation self-government framework.

Following a unanimous resolution passed by Anishinabek Chiefs-in-Assembly in June, Beaucage said the Anishinabek Nation is embarking on a process to establish their own law on Citizenship and individual First Nation citizenship codes this fall.

"We reject the Indian Act in its attempt to determine who our citizens are and in so doing we reject the very concept of Indian Status. The Indian Act and the Government of Canada cannot determine who our citizens are, any more than we can determine who theirs are. Only First Nation governments can make that determination for themselves."

The Grand Council Chief is calling for the complete elimination of the Indian Act in favour of implementation of the treaties and the inherent right to self-government.

"As Nations and as leaders, we need to move out from under the veiled protections of the Indian Act," he said "We need to move from chasing government programs and move forward on a comprehensive initiative to restore our Nationhood and citizenship through self-government.

"We will rise up in unity, create our own forms of government and pass our own citizenship laws," said Beaucage, comparing the "Status Indian" concept to outdated assimilationist policies like the notorious network of Indian Residential Schools.

"The government needs to move beyond limiting our rights and thwarting our Nationhood," he added. "We challenge Canada to work with us to achieve the inevitable: a prosperous and sovereign Anishinabek Nation within Canada."

Currently, the Anishinabek Nation is in the late stages of self-government negotiations respecting core governance and education issues. This will lead to recognition of Anishinabek Nation laws governing constitutions, selection of leadership, appeals and redress, fiscal relations and a new Anishinabek education system.

The Anishinabek Nation incorporated the Union of Ontario Indians as its secretariat in 1949. The UOI is a political advocate for 42 member First Nations across Ontario. The Union of Ontario Indians is the oldest political organization in Ontario and can trace its roots back to the Confederacy of Three Fires, which existed long before European contact.

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