Indigenous status revoked for 700 Innu who are challenging Canada in court – CTV News
April 29, 2026
Hundreds of members of the Innu community of Essipit in Quebec are challenging the Canadian government after it revoked their Indigenous status.
The 738 people involved were descendants of two women, Christine Kichera and Adelaïde Matshiragan, Innu women who lived in the late 18th century and married non-Indigenous men.
“For that reason, their descendants were not eligible for status,” said the members’ lawyer Audrey Mayrand. “It’s important for people to understand that, had the members of these associations’ ancestors been men, they would have always been status members and members of the First Nations.”
