Aboriginal Women's Rights as xisting Rights

This article focuses on the civil and political rights of Aboriginal women and argues that these rights exist under section 35 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that they have never been extinguished. The author uses Supreme Court jurisprudence to support the argument that the contemporary civil and political rights of Aboriginal women were affirmed with the passage of the Charter. The author also briefly discusses the extent to which international law demonstrates the existence of Aboriginal women's rights. In conclusion, the author states that the scope of these civil and political rights will be determined primarily by the development of the self-determination of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. [Descriptors: Indigenous Women, Canada]