APTN: Human Rights complaints filed against band councils on the rise

APTN reports that Human Rights complaints filed by First Nations against band councils is on the rise, with 138 filed against band councils in 2011 as compared to 87 in 2011. Complaints against the federal government, the network says, has dropped to 34 from 55 in the same two-year period. The Indian Act prevented human rights complaints against bands until 2011. “The sheer volume of complaints tells us that Aboriginal people are beginning to use the Canadian Human Rights Act to improve their lives by holding their own governments, as well as the federal government, accountable for human rights,” said David Langtry, acting chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) in a statement. “This is an encouraging and important outcome.”