Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  “Absolutely” is my one-word answer to that. Thank you.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Through your relationship with Ellen Gabriel.... She has, obviously, told you some of the issues that Kanesatake faces. We are under a sectoral self-government regime. However, through the years, we have failed to do some of the things that we were supposed to do in terms of creating our justice of the peace, for example, which would have addressed the policing issue.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think that when a first nation decides to go through the ATR process, they're very well aware of the decision they make. One of the first things they have to do is submit a BCR to the department, whereby the leadership of that first nation have made their decision. Obviously, they've made that decision because they feel they have to.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The process is a lengthy process but I think the restitution of land is a co-operative engagement between the first nations, the federal government, the provincial government and the municipality. If everybody had this willingness to work together, the restitution of land can be a prosperous, healthy and wealthy process.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The impacts are huge, as you well know when you see the news. You see the various first nations across the country that are seeing these impacts in terms of their health and their well-being and what it does to that first nation having to live in these kinds of circumstances. When we talk about restitution of land, I think first nations, number one, get excited.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Absolutely, and unfortunately that's the reality across the country. That's actually why NALMA is striving really hard. That's the reason they opened up an ATR unit: to help build capacity in this way and to work co-operatively with Indigenous Services Canada to improve the entire process.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  First nations don't necessarily have to do the process of additions to reserve, but often they take that route because they lack the land base. They need to provide housing for their first nations, and they need to provide economic development for their first nations. Those first nations....

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It absolutely is. In the ATR process, there are three main components, and there are three phases. It would be nice if at some point Indigenous Services Canada, within those processes or those phases, would allow a little more flexibility from one phase to the other. It would speed up the process and still answer all the requirements of the process.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's correct.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Obviously the federal government has a lot of turnover, but if it was able to implement a way to transfer that knowledge in a quicker fashion, that turnover could still happen. That transfer of knowledge, which is essential to moving these ATR processes forward, could happen. I'm sure there's a way this transfer of knowledge could happen.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  For me, in Kanesatake, you have to understand that we did not go through the ATR process. I need to be clear on that. Following the events of 1990, we didn't have to go through the ATR process. We just had to turn around and put together a land allotment process. To speak to the ATR process and the holdup, I think it's the idea that there's not enough capacity, both with the federal government and the first nations, and of course the provincial government and the municipal government.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I will speak to what happened in Kanesatake, because it's very close to me. When the events after 1990 happened and the land purchases began with the federal government, the 30 years resulted in Kanesatake having its land there but with no land allotment process. These lands were simply taken.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Acquiring land, I think, is a very difficult process across the country, regardless of what province you come from. Our territorial lands are taken over constantly. When we go through a process of ATR—which, again, is an arduous and lengthy process, although we're striving to make that process a bit easier—it's very difficult for first nations across this country to buy land.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I should have gone into French. I apologize. I'm way too nervous, and I'm sure I'll stumble all over the place. Again, land and getting land back is very difficult. Kanesatake is one example of this. After the events of 1990, we were a very well-publicized first nation that got land back.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's wonderful. Thank you, Chair. Sekoh sewakwekon. Hello, everyone. I want to begin by honouring and acknowledging the ancestral unceded Anishinabe Algonquin territory by offering our sacred medicines. I want to thank the standing committee for the invitation to speak today on behalf of NALMA.