Gehl "The Indigenous Famous Five" Flashcards
Who were they?
Indigenous Famous Five
Mary Early, Jeannette Lavell, Yvonne Bedard, Sandra Lovelace and Sharon McIvor
Working for decades to eliminate sex discrimination within first nations
What was the indian act? (121B)
The Indian act gave indigenous individuals treaty rights (right to land, tax exemptions, etc.) when negotiated (for exchange of land for new colonies)
Over time, Canada begin limiting # of entitled individuals through enfranchisement (eliminating/lowering # of individuals with treaty rights)
One huge act was that wife and children of enfranchised men lost treaty rights
Gradual Enfranchisement act (section 12 1(b) made women who married non-Indian men to lose their treaty rights for themselves and their children
What was bill c 31
Indian act was amended through bill C-31 to help reestablish some treaty rights
Different status of Indians (1 and 2) resulted in this sex discrimination to continue
Status 1 could pass rights on to children despite who they married but status 2 could only pass on rights if they married Indian
People who regained rights were status 2
In addition, when a father signature is missing from the birth certificate of a child, they are considered non-Indian despite mother presence as an Indian
What is “Persons Day”?
Where many groups of women come together to celebrate the efforts of “The Famous Five” for their role in gaining women’s rights in canada.
What did “The Famous Five” challenge?
They challenged the definition of a person, wanting it to include female persons.
- Won the right for women to serve in the senate and helped pave the way for women to participate equally in other aspects of life in Canada.
