apr 12, 1876 - The Indian Act

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The Indian Act is the federal government's primary law for administering Indian status, local First Nations governments, and reserve property management. It also lays forth the government's responsibilities to First Nations peoples. The Indian Act only applies to those who have Indian status; it does not apply to non-status First Nations, Métis, or Inuit. The Act, which was first passed in 1876, incorporated a variety of colonial legislation aimed at eradicating First Nations culture in favour of integration into Euro-Canadian society. The Indian Act attempted to assimilate a large and diverse community of people into non-Indigenous civilization by making sweeping generalizations. It prohibited First Nations peoples and communities from using government and culture to express their identity.

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