Ottawa, Ontario (May 25, 2009) - The following statement was released by the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, on Bill C-8:

“I am extremely pleased that this piece of legislation, of great importance to First Nations women and children, was not thrown aside yesterday by a Hoist Motion from the Official Opposition. Bill C-8 will now get the discussion it deserves in the House of Commons.

“There is a lot of misinformation spread about Bill C-8 by those who seek to block this reform, which is long overdue.

“The truth is that Bill C-8, the proposed Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, provides First Nations communities the very thing they are seeking: the mechanism to enact their own culturally relevant laws without any involvement by the federal government.

“The Bill also ensures that, in the interim, as communities develop their own laws, families will be immediately protected from the legal void that has existed for too long.

“More than 100 consultation sessions were held to give organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations and the Native Women's Association of Canada ample opportunity to provide input and feedback. Numerous studies have been undertaken on the subject of matrimonial real property rights, and committees from both the House of Commons and the Senate have recommended that immediate action be taken. It is time to act.”

Backgrounder - Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act