Good morning, colleagues.
Good morning, guests.
I call this meeting to order. Welcome to meeting number 99 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs.
We recognize that we meet on the unceded territory of the Algonquin and Anishinabe peoples.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee is meeting today for its study of the opinion of the Supreme Court of Canada on February 9, 2024, regarding An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.
I would now like to welcome our witnesses.
From the Department of Indigenous Services, we have Katrina Peddle, director general, Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families branch, and Katrina is joined by Isabelle Quintal, acting director general, strategic policy and planning directorate. From the Department of Justice, we have Valerie Phillips, director and general counsel, aboriginal law centre, and Paula Quig, senior counsel, aboriginal law centre.
Welcome.
Colleagues, our normal rules for the committee allow for a five-minute opening statement, but the departmental officials have asked for 10 minutes, since this is a one-off study, to set the stage. I'm going to ask for unanimous consent to allow a 10-minute opening statement, and then we'll get right into the rounds of questions.
I'm seeing agreement with that.
We have 90 minutes with our officials on this one-day study that we're doing. Then we will move into committee business. We'll go into that when we get to that point in the agenda.
I'll use a handy card system. When you have 30 seconds left, I'll show a yellow card, and when your time is up, I will show the red card. Don't stop mid-sentence, but do wind up your thoughts. We'll keep things moving along that way. I'll set my timer for 10 minutes. Whenever you're ready, the floor is yours.
Welcome. Thank you.