October 22: Film screening of Msit No’kmaq (All My Relations) documentary
The documentary I've been working on for the last few months about the fight to end the second-generation cut-off impacting First Nations families in Canada is screening at Amnesty International in Ottawa next week.
For the last few months I've been working on an important film called Msit No’kmaq (All My Relations). What started as a website, morphed into a short campaign, then a 3 episode web-series (with tight turnarounds and deadlines of 7-9 days) and then finally a feature length documentary. I'm excited to say the documentary is done (although the fight continues) and will be premiering next week and hosted by Amnesty International Ottawa Office.
Although I sadly won't be able to be there, my co-director Claudine Santos will. The film will be followed by a panel discussion and fundraiser with First Nations leaders and activists fighting to end the second-generation cut-off in the Indian Act.
What is the second-generation cut-off?
For over 150 years, Canada has pursued policies of forced assimilation aimed at erasing First Nations peoples. The Indian Act remains a powerful tool of federal control over First Nations, including through discriminatory rules determining who can be registered for Indian status.
The second-generation cut-off bars children from registering for status after two generations of First Nations parenting with a non-status person. Known as the “disappearing Indian formula,” this rule threatens the future of First Nations families and communities, including their connections to lands, cultures, treaty rights, and social programs.
The fight to end the cut-off
The Senate has amended Bill S-2 to eliminate the second-generation cut-off and replace it with a one-parent rule for transmitting Indian status. The House of Commons must now decide whether to pass these amendments.
First Nations have been clear: Parliament must follow their lead and pass Bill S-2 as amended by the Senate.
Join us to listen, learn, and stand in solidarity with First Nations people leading this fight.
Event details
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Amnesty International Canada Ottawa Office, 312 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa
Registration is required. Space is limited to 30 participants. Donations and pay-what-you-can contributions are welcome to support the ongoing work to end the cut-off.
Msit No’kmaq (All My Relations) is a Kilam Media Production, produced by the Office of Senator Prosper.
To learn more about the second-generation cut-off, head to: amnesty.ca/features/canada-second-generation-cut-off-threatens-first-nations/