Kwe’ Relatives,

I want to speak with you this week about an important issue affecting First Nations families across Turtle Island, including our own Nation: the second-generation cut-off under the Indian Act.

What is the second-generation cut-off?

For many of our members, the language of the Indian Act can be confusing. Terms such as section 6(1), section 6(2), and registration entitlement are not part of our traditional ways of understanding family, identity, or belonging.

Simply put, the second-generation cut-off is a rule introduced by the federal government in 1985 that can prevent First Nations people from passing Indian status on to their children and grandchildren.

For example, a person registered under section 6(1) may have a child with someone who does not have Indian status. That child may be registered under section 6(2). If that child later has a child with someone who does not have status, their child generally will not be entitled to registration under the current rules.

Our identity does not disappear because of whom we choose to love or have children with. Our children do not become less Mi’kmaw with each passing generation.

I recently travelled to Halifax to attend an information session hosted by the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat on the second-generation cut-off and its impacts on First Nations families.

This session provided an opportunity to learn more about Bill S-2, proposed legislative changes intended to address longstanding inequities in Indian Act registration.

In December 2025, the Senate of Canada passed Bill S-2 with amendments that would address the second-generation cut-off by introducing a one-parent rule. The legislation must still complete the process in the House of Commons before becoming law.

We recognize the importance of meaningful consultation with First Nations. Our voices must be heard, our rights respected, and our communities involved in decisions that affect our future.

We cannot change the injustices experienced by our ancestors, but we have a responsibility to ensure those injustices are not passed down to our grandchildren.

I also want to acknowledge the important work of Mi’kmaw Senator Paul (PJ) Prosper, who has been a strong advocate for eliminating the second-generation cut-off.

I encourage our members to learn more about this issue through the educational video series Msit No’kmaq — All My Relations, which explores the second-generation cut-off and its impacts on First Nations families.

As your Central Region Vice Chief, I believe it is important that our Nation add its voice to this national conversation.

We are preparing to bring forward a Band Council Resolution addressing the second-generation cut-off and supporting legislative changes that would eliminate this discriminatory provision.

We must continue to support the right of First Nations to determine their own citizenship and belonging while challenging federal laws that create divisions within our families.

Msit No’kmaq — All My Relations.

Wela’lioq,

Colleen Paul, Central Region Vice Chief

Resources:

End 2nd Gen: https://www.endthecutoff.ca/

Educational Video Series: https://www.youtube.com/@endthecutoff