The Indian Act: Overview, History, and Amendments

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the purpose, scope, affected populations, key historical amendment dates, and land rights associated with the Canadian Indian Act.

Indian Act

Legislation designed to define Indian Status, outline First Nation government, and govern the management of reserve land, giving the government sweeping powers over Indigenous life.

Primary aim of the Indian Act

To assimilate First Nation peoples into Euro-Canadian society by eliminating First Nation culture and absorbing them into the settler population.

Government powers granted by the Indian Act

Sweeping authority over First Nation identity, political structures, government, cultural practices, and education.

Populations not directly addressed by the Indian Act

Non-status First Nation people, the Métis, and the Inuit.

Reserve lands

Lands on which people with registered Indian Status have the right to live, used for housing, businesses, or resource exploitation.

1951 amendment

A revision to the Indian Act in which some restrictions were removed.

1960 milestone

The year First Nations people were granted federal voting rights.

1961 amendment

The year compulsory enfranchisement was removed from the Indian Act.

Bill C-31

An amendment to the Indian Act passed in 1985.

Bill S-3

Legislation amending the Indian Act in 2017 and 2019.