IV.

Effects and Reactions

One of the most pervasive pieces of legislation in Canadian society, the Indian Act regulates almost every aspect of Indians’ lives. At the same time, it has failed many times to protect Indian land, allowing non-Indians to take reserve property or purchase it through the government at a fraction of its worth. The act has stifled Indian economic development by putting commerce on all reserves under the control of an unresponsive centralized bureaucracy. Finally, the measure intended to protect the Indians by barring non-Indians from trespassing on reserve land isolates Indians from mainstream society.

Indians view the act as a tool the federal government uses to control their actions. Although many provisions that violated Indians’ civil rights have been removed, the act still restricts their right to govern themselves. Most Indians want to abolish the Indian Act, but they realize that its recognition of their distinct status provides some safeguards for their culture and their land. Indians would like to keep some of the government benefits provided under the act but gain additional benefits and attain more self-government.