Islanders at Indigenous peoples' meeting on non-status rights

Four members of the Native Council of P.E.I. are in Ottawa this week to take part in discussions how to move forward after the Supreme Court's Daniels decision, which confirmed Indian status for Mtis and other non-status Indigenous people.

• Mtis and non-status Indians want action following historic Daniels ruling

The Supreme Court ruling, which said the federal government has the same responsibility to those two groups as it does to status Indians, came down last April. Mtis and non-status Indigenous people from across the country have arranged this meeting to provide some direction to the federal government on how to deal with the ruling.

Lisa Cooper, president of the Native Council of Prince Edward Island expressed some frustration that almost a year after the ruling little seems to have changed.

"It's time for us and our communities to be heard and to give direction to the government on who we are," said Cooper.

Cooper said she wants to narrow the gap between the two groups of Indigenous peoples.

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