Updates to First Nations election schedule names

Summary#

The federal government made the Order Amending the Schedule to the First Nations Elections Act (Miscellaneous Program): SOR/2024-225 to update two community names listed in the schedule to the First Nations Elections Act. The change took effect on the day it was registered: November 21, 2024.

What it does#

• Replaces item 35 in the schedule with the name Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg.
• Replaces item 41 in the schedule with the name Zagimē Anishinabēk.
• States the order comes into force on the day it is registered (which was November 21, 2024).
• The order was made by the Minister of Indigenous Services.

Who's affected#

• The two First Nations whose names are changed: Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg and Zagimē Anishinabēk.
• Government offices and records that use the schedules to the First Nations Elections Act, such as the Indian Registration System and administrative lists.
• The order’s regulatory statement also notes related name-change requests involving other First Nations and other instruments (the First Nations Fiscal Management Act and the Indian Bands Council Elections Order), but this specific order only updates the two names above.

Why it matters#

• It aligns official federal lists with how the communities currently identify themselves.
• That reduces confusion about which laws or rules apply to a particular First Nation.
• The change is administrative: it updates names in records and does not, on its face, change rights, funding, or legal obligations.