Yes.
As you're well aware and as you see in the news, a lot of indigenous nations or first nations—some here in Ontario and especially in northern Ontario and along the route—struggle just to get clean water, despite their location. They might be in proximity to southern Ontario where you would assume they would have clean water and all the infrastructure in the world to be able to help do that, but that's not necessarily the case. Some of them are just coming online now for clean water and these sort of things.
Of course, the Indian Act, as you are fully aware, has hindered the growth and the possibilities of communities both economically and socially. That coercion tactic of offering money, hundreds of thousands of dollars and the potential to have these jobs sounds like a benefit to the communities, but they're being forced to take it because there is no other way out. The Indian Act hasn't gone anywhere and it's not moving anywhere.
It needs to be addressed, like I said before, to help make these decisions. These sort of things must be removed, so that communities can move forward and not be coerced into doing what they need to survive. To survive, they have choice—either their community or their money and their land.
