2. Women's Perspectives - Christian Aboriginal Infrastructure ...

The idea of a national body to represent Aboriginal women emerged at a 1970
international conference of Aboriginal women in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in
March 1971 the first National Native Women's Conference was held in Canada. In
August 1974, the Native Women's Association of Canada (NwAC) convened its first
annual assembly in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Until the early 1980s, NwAC would speak on
behalf of First Nations, Inuit and Métis women.
In 1984, because of major differences in language, culture, and circumstances, Inuit
women felt a need to create their own organization — Pauktuutit. Its mandate is to foster
a greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women and to encourage their participation in
community, regional and national concerns in relation to social, cultural and economic
development. 93
In 1992, the Métis National Council of Women was incorporated as a federation of six
independent provincial and territorial Métis women's organizations: British Columbia,
Alberta, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
Although stated differently, the goals and objectives of each Aboriginal women's
organization are similar: improving the quality of life for Aboriginal women and their
children by achieving equal participation in the social, economic, cultural and political
life not only of their communities but of Canadian society as a whole.
Throughout the 1970s and '80s, the discriminatory provisions in the Indian Act were a
central focus of concern. Women such as Yvonne Bedard, Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell,
Mary Two Axe Early and Sandra Lovelace instituted legal proceedings challenging the
loss of Indian status and rights. Aboriginal women wanted to see major changes in their
lives and communities, and they were determined to take action locally, regionally,
nationally and internationally:
In 1981, Sandra Lovelace took her case to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
It held that Canada was in contravention of article 27 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights. The committee ruled that the cultural rights guaranteed by
article 27 of the Covenant were denied because she was forced to be separate from her
community. Only after this decision did the Canadian government try to correct the
situation, finally enacting Bill C-31 in 1985….This could not have happened if it were
not for the Aboriginal women speaking out.
Kathy Martin
The Pas, Manitoba
20 May 1992
Although the discriminatory provisions of the Indian Act were important, a wide range of
other concerns captured the attention of Aboriginal women's organizations. They were
also placing increased emphasis on their participation in the decision-making processes
of other national Aboriginal organizations.
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