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Part IIOrderPublished: March 31, 2021

First Nations Band Name Updates

Order Amending the Schedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act (Miscellaneous Program): SOR/2021-39

This order updates the official band names listed in the schedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act, replacing 16 older names with each community’s preferred or corrected name. It is an administrative change that affects federal records and identification of the named communities but does not on its face alter rights or funding.

Published
March 31, 2021
Department
Unavailable
Section
Order Amending the Schedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act (Miscellaneous Program)
Comment deadline
Unavailable
Effective date
March 18, 2021
Publication part
Part II

Summary

Summary#

This order updates the official list of band names that appears in the schedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act. It replaces 16 older names with the communities’ preferred or corrected names. The order came into force on March 18, 2021 and was published in the Canada Gazette on March 31, 2021.

What it does#

  • Replaces the French name Bande Buctouche Micmac in the Act’s schedule with Bande des Micmacs de Bouctouche.
  • Replaces Conseil des Montagnais du Lac Saint-Jean with Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation.
  • Replaces Cross Lake First Nation with Cross Lake Band of Indians.
  • Replaces Gamblers with Gambler First Nation.
  • Replaces Mistawasis with Mistawasis Nêhiyawak.
  • Replaces Moricetown Indian Band with Witset First Nation.
  • Replaces Mount Currie with Lil'wat Nation.
  • Replaces Nak'azdli with Nak'azdli Whut'en.
  • Replaces Oromocto with Oromocto First Nation.
  • Replaces Peters with Peters First Nation.
  • Replaces Seton Lake with Tsal'alh.
  • Replaces Songhees First Nation with Songhees Nation.
  • Replaces Splatsin First Nation with Splatsin.
  • Replaces St. Mary's First Nation with ?Aq'am.
  • Replaces Tsuu T'ina Nation with Tsuut'ina Nation.
  • Replaces Wahgoshig with Wahgoshig First Nation.

This is an administrative change to the schedule in the First Nations Fiscal Management Act. The order was made after the band councils requested the name changes.

Who's affected#

  • The 16 named communities, including Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation, Cross Lake Band of Indians, Mistawasis Nêhiyawak, Witset First Nation, Lil'wat Nation, Nak'azdli Whut'en, Oromocto First Nation, Tsal'alh, Songhees Nation, ?Aq'am, Tsuut'ina Nation, Wahgoshig First Nation, and the other bands listed above.
  • The band councils who asked for the changes.
  • Federal records and programs that use the schedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act to identify communities.

If it is unclear who else might be affected, that is because the order only changes how names appear on the Act’s schedule. It does not say it changes any other rules or funding.

Why it matters#

  • Official federal lists and documents will now use the updated names. That can reduce confusion and better reflect how communities prefer to be named.
  • This is mainly an administrative update. It does not, on its face, create new rights or change funding rules in the text of the order.
  • Updating names can matter in everyday situations such as federal records, agreements, listings on government websites, and legal or administrative paperwork where the exact official name is used.

Key topics

First Nations Fiscal Management ActSchedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management ActCrown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs CanadaPekuakamiulnuatsh First NationCross Lake Band of IndiansMistawasis NêhiyawakWitset First NationLil'wat NationNak'azdli Whut'enOromocto First NationTsal'alhSonghees Nation?Aq'amTsuut'ina NationBande des Micmacs de Bouctouche

Source: Canada Gazette

Official source