AMENDMENT TO BILL C-31, 40 YEARS LATER: A STEP TOWARD JUSTICE, BUT NOT THE END OF THE ROAD

Kahnawà:ke, April 17, 2025 – Forty years ago, the amendments to Bill C-31 of the Indian Act
marked a crucial step in recognizing the rights of Indigenous women in Canada. This amendment
allowed women who had lost their status after marrying a non-Indigenous person to regain it, ending
a long-standing discriminatory clause embedded in federal legislation.

QNW_Press release_40th anniversary C-31_2025-04-17