Vol. 145, No. 3 — February 2, 2011

Registration

SI/2011-5 February 2, 2011

GENDER EQUITY IN INDIAN REGISTRATION ACT

ARCHIVED — Order Fixing January 31, 2011 as the Day on which that Act Comes into Force

P.C. 2011-12 January 17, 2011

His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, pursuant to section 10 of the Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act, chapter 18 of the Statutes of Canada, 2010, hereby fixes January 31, 2011 as the day on which that Act comes into force.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order.)

The Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act, Bill C-3, was assented to on December 15, 2010. The Act replaces or amends certain Indian registration provisions of the Indian Act. The Court of Appeal for British Columbia ruled on April 6, 2009, in the case of McIvor v. Canada that the Indian Act discriminates between men and women with respect to registration as an Indian, and therefore violates the equality provision of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Act ensures that eligible grandchildren of women who lost Indian status as a result of marrying non-Indian men will become entitled to registration (Indian status) in accordance with the Act.