The appellant, an illegitimate child of an Indian father and a non-Indian mother, was denied registration under the Indian Act on the basis that section 11(1)(c) applied only to legitimate descendants.
The Supreme Court of Canada allowed the appeal, holding that the plain meaning of section 11(1)(c) does not include a requirement of legitimacy.
The Court declined to read the word 'legitimate' into the provision, finding that the appellant met the criteria as a direct descendant in the male line.
