Supreme Court rules on Indian status

The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously ruled that Metis and non-status are “Indians” under the Constitution.

The high court was also asked to rule on whether the federal government has the same responsibility to them as to status Indians and Inuit.

The court said there was no need to rule on whether the federal government has a legal duty to Metis and non-status Indians as Aboriginal Peoples or that they have a right to be consulted by the government on their rights and needs.

“It was already well established in Canadian law that the federal government was in a fiduciary relationship with Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples and that the federal government had a duty to consult and negotiate with them when their rights were engaged,” said Justice Rosalie Abella. “Restating this in declarations would be of no practical utility.”

The long-awaited ruling will have an impact on the relationship between the federal government and 600,000 Metis and off-reserve Indians across the country.