VANCOUVER, B.C.—In a decision released January 14, the United Nations Human Rights Committee ruled that Canada discriminates against First Nations women and their descendants by denying them the same entitlement to full s. 6(1)(a) status under the Indian Act as First Nations men and their descendants. This long-standing discrimination affects First Nations women’s entitlement to status, their right to transmit status, and their equality with First Nations men.

The Committee ruled that Canada is obligated to remove the discrimination and to ensure that all First Nations women and their d...