Section 5 of the federal UN declaration implementation legislation has a positive obligation on Canada to implement and align its laws and policies and regulations with the UN declaration, so that alone is a positive obligation that requires, in my view, proactive engagement.
There is a retrospective component to this, which is like laws on the books that we need to deal with, laws in development and laws forthcoming. My view is that—and this is the core submission—I propose that this committee and the courageous leadership around this table could theoretically advocate for some kind of incubator space that facilitates and supports the homegrown, homespun. As Mr. Orb pointed out, local people know.
It is my view that indigenous laws and legal order is because we have a very different relationality to the non-human because we view and interface with these non-human entities as having agency, as having breath, as having spirit, as having profundity.
Science is catching up increasingly and weirdly with the support of artificial intelligence and machine learning systems that are recognizing the voice of nature, as put forward by my late mentor and dear friend, the late Dr. Karen Bakker.
I think that what you're going to see, and what I encourage, is a push towards support of these emergent constructs.
To committee member Pauzé, your question relatedly.... I think in the emergent constructs in certain jurisdictions, whether it's Saskatchewan or Quebec or anywhere else that has municipal first nations and other alignment structures, you are likely to find the necessary solutions that then have to be scaled.
My question for the group is: Who else but the federal government can functionally scale horizontally or laterally in this system?
It is upon you, with the utmost respect, to scale and scale quickly. I think that is where first nations...because we don't necessarily disrupt co-operative federalism. We don't necessarily disrupt the complexity of the 91-92 relationship, and yet stand adjacent to and loyal to.... I'm Treaty 8 on both sides. We've been loyal since 1899, even though my dad went to residential school, even though my people and I have been violated time and again by provincial and federal and municipal powers. We stand with you committed to this thing that is Canada. I think that is where the utility that we need in the 21st century will be found, and that's my admonition to you.