What did the 1969 Government of Canada Statement on Indian Policy say about discriminatory laws and treaties?

• A. It stated that Canada cannot be a just society while discriminating; treaties could be struck down.
• B. It urged that treaties must be preserved unchanged.
• C. It claimed the Indian Act should be strengthened.
• D. It stated that Canada cannot be a just society while discriminatory laws exist, and that treaties and discriminatory barriers should be reviewed with a view to ending them equitably.

Answer: (D)

This item tests recognizing how the 1969 Government of Canada Statement on Indian Policy framed discrimination and treaties. The policy argues that Canada cannot be a just society while discriminatory laws exist and that treaties and other barriers faced by Indigenous peoples should be reviewed with the goal of ending them in an equitable way. This captures the move to address unfair laws and to reexamine treaty obligations toward fair resolution. The other options misstate the stance: preserving treaties unchanged or strengthening the Indian Act would not align with the policy’s push for reform, and suggesting treaties could be struck down ignores the emphasis on reviewing and ending discriminatory barriers in a fair manner.