I also want to thank all three of you for being here. We've been waiting for quite some time to hear from you, and it's very appreciated that all three of you took the time from your busy schedules. I wish we had a whole day or more days with you. That's the frustration of our committee, that we have so much on our plates. We value every word that you're giving and appreciate your written briefs. We look forward to receiving the Grand Chief's brief as well.
I want to say at the outset, Mr. McNeely, that I really appreciated your drawing the connections between the biodiversity convention, the obligations of the federal government with regard to the biodiversity convention, and SARA. I have heard from a number of organizations that are hoping they can also appear and draw that connection, so I appreciate your bringing that to our attention as well as mentioning the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and how they are connected.
It's very interesting to hear the testimonies together. When you piece them together, I think you're making a really cogent case for the contradiction in the fact that in implementing the obligations under the biodiversity convention, the federal government, in its wisdom or otherwise, has enacted the separate act to protect endangered species, but it appears to be disassociated from all the other powers of the federal government to intervene to protect species at risk and their habitats.
Mr. Marcel, on behalf of his first nation, I think, is making that very clear through his case study of the woodland bison and the woodland caribou in that area. So we have a scenario where we have—and I draw this to what Grand Chief Atleo is saying—the problem of the timing and the respect due to the first nations as an order of government, not just some organization or other entity that simply advises.
I look to the case that Elder Marcel has raised, and I look at additional documents that have been filed by the federal government. In 2008 the Government of Canada identified that all caribou herds in Alberta were non-self-sustaining, that the impacts were seen most in Alberta, that the declines were the result of cumulative impacts on the caribou range, and that the expansion of the oil sands was having a critical impact on caribou and possibly could be contravening SARA.
The problem we see is that the federal government has transferred over to the provincial government responsibility for making the decision on what kind of habitat will be designated for this species when, in fact, as Grand Chief Atleo has pointed out, there's a very clear relationship between Canada's first nations peoples and the Inuit and the Métis and species that are of value to those first nations.
That raises a bigger question. Are the delays we're seeing in the implementation of the designation of habitat for these species at risk associated with the federal government failing to intervene when the first nations are asking them to intervene, when there are project approvals? I'm wondering if in your experience you are seeing some kind of a contradiction or a problem in the delay at the point in time when first nations are being consulted.
What's happening in the relationship between...? There may be species that are about to be listed, which you would like or not like to be listed. There are recommendations that habitat should be protected. There are delays and in fact violations of the act inasmuch as they aren't keeping with those deadlines, and yet, in the meantime, there are projects going forward that may impact the continuance of that species or of the habitat.
It's a big question, but I think you're raising some interesting questions about the place of the first nations peoples in the delivery of this act. It sounds as though there's frustration that even where there are designated committees, you're only being partially consulted and maybe too late in the game.
I'm wondering if you could speak to that, about the relationship between developments that are going forward, other federal responsibilities, and the delivery of responsibilities under this act.