Harper government supports changes to legislation so new Human Rights bill passes in parliament
MPs approve contentious native human rights bill
May 29, 2008
A controversial bill to extend Canadian human rights protections to people living on First Nations reserves has passed the House of Commons.
The Conservative bill, which MPs voted in favour of on Wednesday, now heads to the Senate for approval.
The legislation calls for First Nation members to be allowed to make formal human rights complaints against band councils or Ottawa, something they were largely barred from doing under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
When the act passed in 1977, reserves were exempt to give bands time to prepare for the complaints process. The exemption was supposed to be temporary, but it was never removed.
More than 30 years later, the new Conservative bill is attempting to close the loophole.
The legislation, which was first announced in December 2006, was put on hold until the Conservatives agreed to several opposition changes, including a three-year phase-in period and clauses to protect collective native rights.
The government originally wanted the legislation to take effect in six months, stating that it was important to shield people on reserves against discrimination, and give them full human rights protections.
But native leaders from across Canada said the bill in its original form gave cash-strapped First Nations too little time to prepare for potentially costly complaints. They also said the government failed to consult them.