Feds dig into the Indian Act to allow band councils to extend term during pandemic – APTN News

April 8, 2020

In an abrupt policy shift, First Nation band councils will now be able to adopt a band council resolution allowing current chief and councils to extend their terms for six months with the option to extend for another six months, which means communities won’t have to hold or postpone elections in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

APTN News has learned that Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller, drawing on section 73(f) of the Indian Act, proposed the new measure to cabinet, who agreed to the regulation.

Section 73(f) of the Indian Act gives government power to make regulations “to prevent, mitigate and control the spread of diseases on reserves, whether or not the diseases are infectious or communicable.”

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) previously stated multiple times that they didn’t have that authority.

Read More: https://aptnnews.ca/2020/04/08/feds-dig-into-the-indian-act-to-allow-band-councils-to-extend-term-during-pandemic/