Bill Detail
An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Indian Act
This enactment amends section 207 the Criminal Code to provide that the governing body of a First Nation has exclusive authority to conduct and manage a lottery scheme from or within its reserve and to license the conduct and management of a lottery scheme by other persons and entities from or within its reserve, if the governing body of the First Nation has provided notice to the Government of Canada and the government of any province in which the reserve is located of its intention to exercise that authority.
This enactment also amends the Indian Act to grant the council of the band authority to make by-laws for the purposes of regulating the operation, conduct and management of lottery schemes permitted from or within the band’s reserve under section 207 of the Criminal Code.
This bill, S-241, aims to give First Nations governments more control over lotteries conducted on their reserves. It proposes changes to the Criminal Code and the Indian Act, allowing First Nations councils to manage and license lottery schemes within their territories. This move is framed as respecting Indigenous peoples' inherent and treaty rights to self-determination and self-government, aligning with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.