The existing law works in this way. Requests for documents that are under the control and in the hands of a government department are subject to the act. That includes an enormous amount of material, including a lot of material on aboriginals. If they are in the control of the government department, they are subject to the act.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is subject to the act, so all the documentation that it produces and generates is subject to the act. What is not subject to the act, however, are the documents that are generated by the first nations themselves, which are properly under their own control. They are subject to a mandatory exemption. So if a document comes up that is in the hands of a band council, it is not subject to the Access to Information Act. It is excluded, so we do not see it, and we cannot see it. However, if there are representations that the band council or an Indian group has made to the Government of Canada, and it is properly within the control of the Government of Canada in some way, then that does become subject to the act, just as all other information does.
From the point of view of the Access to Information Act, aboriginals already have the status of being outside the act.