I think I'm going to need someone to explain this to me.

Native groups slammed the federal government on Wednesday for not consulting them on proposed changes to the Canadian Human Rights Act that would give aboriginal people the right to challenge federal legislation governing First Nations.

Aboriginal people in Canada currently cannot launch complaints about the Indian Act under the Canadian Human Rights Act, because of a specific section in the law that exempts the Indian Act.

At issue is Section 67, which says: "Nothing in this Act affects any provision of the Indian Act or any provision made under or pursuant to that Act."

Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice, who introduced the changes Wednesday in Parliament, called the section "a block which prevents Canadian First Nations citizens from having the same rights and protections that you and I have."

Repealing the section "without engaging in meaningful consultations with Aboriginal Peoples could only lead to disaster," said Bev Jacobs, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada in a release Wednesday.

If passed, the change is expected to prompt hundreds of discrimination claims.

The government wants to give Indians the same rights as everyone else. And that's bad? The Indians don't like it?

I'm confused. Maybe I can't understand it because I'm only a quadroon, daughter of a half-breed, but more rights seems like a good deal to me.

Labels: Canadiana