Bill C-7, currently before the Canadian parliament and known as the First Nations Governance Act, (FNGA) is slated to be passed by Federal Parliament this Fall. This Bill will largely replace the Indian Act of 1877 and is intended to pave the way for self-governance by First Nations People.
Despite extensive and expensive national consultations by a royal commission, Bill C7 is controversial. Large-scale demonstrations by First Nation members have been staged on Parliament Hill and other provincial legislatures.
The question becomes how will Ottawa deal with this protest? Will it proceed to pass this piece of legislation? Come and learn more about the future of First Nation Communities as shaped by Bill C7.
Speaker:
Wallace Manyfingers is the Project Manager of the Historic Society in Stand Off. He has served as the Indian Government Consultation Coordinator for Alberta in the 1980s and at the same time with the Alberta Chiefs for Repatriation. He has served as an elected chief on the council in 1977. Previously he has worked on the Indian Act Gladstone Study and has attended the United Nations.