First Nations Band Name Updates

Summary#

The Order Amending the Schedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act (Miscellaneous Program) updates the official band names listed in the schedule to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act. The order was made by Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and came into force on November 21, 2024.

What it does#

• Replaces the band name Cowichan Tribes First Nation with Cowichan in the schedule.
• Replaces Hagwilget First Nation Government with Hagwilget Village Council.
• Replaces Lake Cowichan First Nation with Ts’uubaa-asatx, and repositions that entry in alphabetical order.
• Replaces the French-schedule name Première nation Leq’á:mel with Leq’á:mel First Nation.
• Replaces Muskeg Lake Cree Nation with Muskeg Lake Cree Nation #102.
• Replaces Pic Mobert with Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, and repositions that entry in alphabetical order.
• Replaces Tobacco Plains Indian Band with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it, and repositions that entry in alphabetical order.
• Replaces Tsartlip First Nation with W̱JOȽEȽP, and repositions that entry in alphabetical order.
• Replaces the French-schedule name Zagime Anishinabek with Zagimē Anishinabēk.
• The Order takes effect on the day it was registered (November 21, 2024).

Who's affected#

• The named First Nations: Cowichan, Hagwilget Village Council, Ts’uubaa-asatx, Leq’á:mel First Nation, Muskeg Lake Cree Nation #102, Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it, W̱JOȽEȽP, and Zagimē Anishinabēk.
• Federal officials and agencies who maintain lists and records under the First Nations Fiscal Management Act, since the schedule in that Act now uses the updated names.
• Anyone who consults the Act’s schedule for legal, administrative, or program purposes (for example, to confirm which bands are listed).

Why it matters#

• These are official name updates in a federal law’s schedule. That helps ensure government records match the names the communities asked to use.
• In practice, the change is mostly administrative. It affects how the bands are listed in federal documents and databases. It could also matter when agencies or outside parties refer to those bands in contracts, funding, or legal references.
• The order reflects requests from the bands’ councils to have their names updated in federal records.