Annotation:
This report examines the issue of Aboriginal self-government in Canada and its potential impact upon the rights of Aboriginal women. The report raises concerns about where the inherent right to self-government may be rooted within Canadian law and argues that if it is found within the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, this will leave the right to self-government open to the restrictions under section 1 of the Charter. (Charter rights are subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society). The report also identifies two main areas of continued discrimination against Aboriginal women: registration as an Indian and band power concerning residence on reserves. The report argues that self-government must be structured in such a way as to guarantee the human rights and equality of Aboriginal women under Canadian and international law. [Descriptors: Indigenous Women, Canada]