Controversy stems from Indian Act

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The time for supporting the Indian Act has long passed, says the Chief of the Native Council of Nova Scotia.

"Use it to move people through the transition period to self-government," said Dwight Dory.

The enforcement of the Indian Act created an artificial method of establishing citizenship, which is up to Natives to correct, said Dory, himself a Bill C-31 Indian.

You can't have it both ways - you can't say we have an inherent right to self-government and on the other hand support a foreign government's legislation classifying our people," said Dory.

But other political groups are concerned that without federal recognition, their rights will be ignored.

"The AFN or Manitoba Council of Indians, they're not speaking the same language, they don't represent our interests," said Ernest Letandre, president of the Native Mediation Representative Inc. "They are pushing self-government and we're worried about it," he said.

The group vehemently opposes self-government, saying the Indian Act is necessary to protect Aboriginals against their own Chiefs and councils.

While Gail Stacey-Moore agrees the Indian Act has its uses, the Speaker for the Native Women's Association of Canada also believes Native groups must create their own governments.

"Until we have something else in place, in terms of our own aboriginal institutions, there has to be something concrete in place to protect the interests of Aboriginal people."

But the act must go, she said.

"The Indian Act always was and will be for assimilation. That's why we have to get moving really quickly to establish self-government."