Senate passes amendments to First Nations status bill; MPs still need to vote

OTTAWA - Senators have passed sweeping amendments to a bill that would simplify the transfer of First Nations status between generations.

Bill S-2, introduced in the Senate and supported by the Liberal government, was drafted to eliminate some gender inequities in the Indian Act and allow some 6,000 people to become eligible for First Nations status, but some senators and community leaders said it didn't go far enough.