The Human Rights Committee and the Case of Sandra Lovelace

This article is a detailed review of Sandra Lovelace's application to the United Nations Human Rights Committee which challenged provisions of the Canadian Indian Act as discriminatory against women. Under the Act, Indian women marrying non-Indian men lost their legal status as "Indian", a practice that was found to be discriminatory against women by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC). The case continues to be relevant both in assessing provisions on Indian status and in understanding how the decision of an international body relates to the status of Indigenous women's rights in Canada. The article also reviews the historical debate over the question of Indian status and the disagreements between Native groups and the Canadian government. In conclusion, the author notes the Canadian government's inadequate response to Lovelace's complaint and emphasizes the important political role of the Human Rights Committee on this contentious issue. [Descriptors: Indigenous Women, Applying Human Rights Law - International, Canada, International]