Complaints to Canadian Human Rights Commission way up from First Nations

OTTAWA – Members of First Nations communities brought a record number of complaints last year to the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

The commission’s latest annual report attributes the surge to a 2008 law change that allowed First Nations members to file complaints about matters under the Indian Act, which had been shielded from human-rights scrutiny.

Prior to 2011, when the law change took effect, the commission received fewer than 50 complaints a year from First Nations groups.

But since 2011, First Nations groups have filed 390 complaints against their own governments and Ottawa.

Of those, 225 complaints were against First Nations governments over housing issues and eligibility to vote in band council elections.

Another 165 complaints were filed against the federal government over funding for education, policing and child welfare.