Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, to say we are not at the table is inappropriate. As I said, the university has now submitted a proposal under the same program that every other university in the country submits when dealing with first nations students. We are encouraged by the changes we have seen.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I responded to those questions by this very same member yesterday in committee. We are displaying good faith. We are following the terms and conditions of the Indian residential schools settlement agreement. It is a court supervised agreement. We have turned over a million documents.

Indian Oil and Gas Act  Mr. Speaker, it is indeed very gratifying to see Bill C-5 advanced to third reading. After nearly a decade of discussions and consultations, we are finally bringing this legislation into the 21st century. In the process, we will be helping to bring much needed prosperity to oil and gas producing first nations.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, Annual Report 2009.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, we have done a lot in the north. The member knows it. We are committed to improving our regulatory systems in the north. We have created legislative changes to improve regulatory processes and enhance environmental stewardship, with a strong voice for aboriginal people.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the hearings, as I understand it, are taking place under the umbrella of the National Energy Board. It will obviously set the terms of reference and the context. It has a very strong, robust regulatory system. We have had testimony before the committee from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, which says that the National Energy Board has the skill base to have the strongest and most robust environmental legislation.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we are focused on creating jobs and economic opportunities for aboriginal Canadians, and we are getting results. For example, over the past month I announced eight more first nations would join the 61 first nations that had chosen freedom from 34 sections of the Indian Act.

Health  Mr. Speaker, we understand that the non-insured health benefits program is one that needs some review and we are looking into that. Travel is a big issue when it comes to delivering health benefits. There is a growing awareness and we are looking into it.

Forest Fires  Clearly, Mr. Speaker, this is a tragedy for the affected communities and their members. Our officials have been working with the first nations and with the province of Quebec, which is primarily responsible for the required evacuations and related work. We have been actively involved since the beginning with emergency measures.

Forest Fires  Mr. Speaker, the member knows that there are agreements in place which take care of all of these situations. This is no different than previous examples. Contrary to media reports, we have been actively engaged in this emergency and the weather has now cooled. We can expect an orderly return to the communities.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the narrative continues despite the facts. We hear the same thing repeated once again, that the summit in Pittsburgh only cost $28 million. Those were municipal costs only. The members are comparing oranges with apples. It is most inappropriate and yet they keep repeating these statements.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I was interested in following the speech by the member for Vancouver Kingsway. We both have ridings in British Columbia and we are very proud of the Olympic legacy that was created this year. I can remember the NDP provincial counterpart in British Columbia saying exactly the same kinds of things about the security costs associated with the Olympics and the lead-up to the Olympics.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the member for Ajax—Pickering is a master of overstatement. He made the statement in his speech that there have been 11 summits since 9/11 and none of them have cost anywhere near what we are predicting for the G8 and G20 in Canada. That is absolutely incorrect. Most of the time we are comparing apples with oranges, but we do have the complete set of numbers in from Hokkaido for the G8.

Forest Fires  Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the situation. Our officials have been working with the first nation and with the province that is primarily responsible for the evacuations that are necessary and for the work that will be done. We will do everything we can to help in this circumstance.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I will be speaking for 10 minutes and then splitting my time with the member for Edmonton—Leduc and the member for Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont. I am the long-time representative from the riding of Vancouver Island North, which includes CFB Comox, and I am pleased to take part in this examination of the estimates for 2010-11 for the Department of National Defence.