Chief and Council Update - November 28th, 2025

There has been a lot of news lately concerning Bill S-2 and the recent Senate Standing Committee
vote, to pass the Bill with amendments that include replacing the “second-generation cutoff” rule
with a “one parent rule”, which would mean that any child born who has at least one parent that is
status, would have status as well.

Media coverage right after that vote, has led many to believe that those changes are finalized and
will automatically become law. This is not the case. We need to clarify that as of now, the law has
not changed yet.

Bill S-2 was introduced in the Senate on May 29th, 2025, and received First Reading. Second
reading was held on June 25th, 2025, and the Bill was referred to committee. On Tuesday,
November 18th, 2025, the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples added amendments
to include addressing the second-generation cut-off and the one-parent rule and the committee
voted in favour of the Bill.

The Bill now requires a Standing Senate Committee Report Stage completion and then, Third
Reading in the Senate. These stages will not happen until after the next parliamentary session,
likely sometime in early 2026.

After Senate passage, the bill will move to the House of Commons for First, Second, and Third
Readings and if it passes in the House, it will require Royal Assent before becoming law. Some of
the key factors for Bill S-2 includes reinstating Indian status for individuals and descendants who
lost it through historical enfranchisement, allowing women and descendants transferred to a
spouse’s band to reaffiliate with their natal First Nation, removing outdated offensive language
from the Indian Act, and allowing roughly 3,500 people to become newly eligible for registration.
The amendments made as of November 18 include ending the second-generation cut-off, and
removal of non-liability clauses, which open pathways for compensation related to sex-based
discrimination. Reportedly, further potential benefits of Bill S-2 include restoration of identity and
rights, supporting intergenerational connection, improved access to programs and services,
gender equality and fairness, and supporting families previously divided by membership rules to
reunite under one First Nation.