“Major takeaways of the decision Reference to the Court of appeal of Quebec in relation with the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families”, by Nicholas Dodd
On February 10, 2022, the Quebec Court of Appeal released its judgment regarding the constitutionality of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families. In finding the Act mostly constitutional, the Court emphatically confirmed that s. 35 of the Constitution Act¸1982 protects Indigenous peoples’ right to self-government. No appeal court in Canada has ever taken this step, and the Court’s judgment will have far-ranging consequences for the rights of Indigenous peoples. Jameela Jeeroburkhan and Nicholas Dodd of Dionne Schulze assisted an intervening party in preparing its written submissions and Nicholas has prepared a short summary of the major takeaways from the decision to help you understand more.
