Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll answer that. Our current legislation applies to only reserve lands that have been surrendered or designated for oil and gas administration. There are a number of lands that are involved in land claims or TLE processes--that's treaty land entitlement processes--where the first nation can gain ownership of those lands, have them transferred and become Indian first nation lands or reserve lands, and at the same time be designated for our oil and gas administration.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. For example, if the land is through a treaty land entitlement process, that land becomes part of reserve lands. In that process is a vote by the membership to accept the land as reserve lands, but also there's a designation for oil and gas administration in that vote. When that occurs, then that would give us the authority to administer those oil and gas resources on that particular piece of land.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There've been a number of times we've had discussions in this process--various chiefs and councils, oil and gas technicians, legal counsels. In fact, through some of the work through the Stoneys and their legal counsel, there have been at least four amendments that have found their way into this amendment that have come from the Stoney First Nation and their legal counsel.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll respond to that. When land is available on first nations, we work with chief and council to post those lands. We get interest from the companies, then we sit down with the first nation and the company. Usually the first nation is involved in the negotiation of the royalties, the bonuses, and then some of the terms of the lease.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It depends on the first nation, the area that's available, how badly the company wants it, and what's going on, of course, around the reserve.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, and also, I think, with the provinces.... For example, in Alberta, they have an orphan well fund. If it cannot be identified who owns a well, they would come in on the reserve and use that fund to properly abandon the well. So this is a case where it's good we're working closely with provincial authorities.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I guess that could be a process. I want to emphasize that we're not taking all provincial authorities or powers. Certain aspects of them, where we're silent--

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, no, just certain parts of the environment and conservation. So we'll be applying those. Each province is different. Our goal is to make sure that the first nation in that province is competitive. We want to have a regime where it's different from the provinces and first nations.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It's the issue of how the money is managed.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  After it's collected and put into the trust accounts.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Right. And our mandate is to do the collection and deposit it into the different trust accounts. Then our responsibility basically is completed.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We're liable for the royalties, the verification of those royalties, and then the deposit of those royalties into the different trust accounts. That's our responsibility.