“Eskimo” Decision
Identification Tag. Canadian Museum of History, IV-C-4496, D2002-013170
April 5, 1939
On April 5, 1939, the Supreme Court of Canada decided on the constitutional status and racial definition of Canada’s Inuit. Before the decision, there was legal uncertainty as to whether the Inuit — then referred to as Eskimos — were Canadian citizens or, like the First Nations, wards of the state. The court found that Inuit should be considered as “Indians” within Section 91(24) of the 1867 Constitution Act or British North America Act, thereby making the Inuit the legal responsibility of the Canadian federal government.
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