UN expert welcomes bill banning sexual discrimination with indigenous in Canada

Before the bill entered into force on 15 August, provisions within the Indian Act meant women lost their status when they married non-Indigenous men, while men who married non-Indigenous women kept their rights.

In Canada, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Šimonovic, welcomed a bill banning sexual discrimination from a federal law dealing with indigenous peoples.

Before the bill entered into force on 15 August, provisions within the Indian Act meant women lost their status when they married non-Indigenous men, while men who married non-Indigenous women kept their rights.

"For decades, First Nations women and their descendants have faced sex-based discrimination that has been perpetuated by these provisions, constituting a violation of international and national gender equality standards," said the UN expert.