When I briefly cited some of the court cases, including Marshall...I was at the late Donald Marshall Jr.'s funeral when he passed away. He was an iconic figure for indigenous peoples, not just in this country but globally. What the Mi'kmaq and others who have led these challenges have been undertaking is really twofold, and it speaks directly to your discussion here.
When I mention Marshall, Sparrow, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Gladstone, we're talking about decisions that have yet to be fully implemented. Yet first nations, like I think a lot of people, want to give effect to a notion about sustainability. They want to have an enduring relationship with the environment around them.
I want to be very clear, though, that in this respect, first nations, the Mi'kmaq alike, are not just stakeholders and not just members of the Canadian public. They have rights. They are treaty rights holders. They have constitutionally protected rights that have yet to be implemented.
I made it very clear, when we had a visit from His Royal Highness, the Prince, that these treaties predate the establishment of Canada, and with the new UN declaration, Canada has an obligation to work with first nations to implement those rights. Going back to the original Agenda 21, Canada signed on to an international declaration stating that first nations, indigenous peoples, must be involved in defining sustainability.
The example you've cited is an example where first nations, as I said in my presentation, are prepared to work with others to accomplish that. The challenge is that even within this effort we have what we believe is an improper effort on the part of the government to create regulations that will restrict, limit, or constrain first nations fishing rights by establishing a limited definition of those rights or by failing to acknowledge inherent rights that have always existed.
That is the core fundamental challenge we have. We see under current environmental assessment processes under the National Energy Board that there at least has been some process, albeit not satisfactory. It's not fully grounded on full respect and recognition of inherent indigenous peoples' rights, aboriginal entitlement rights, and treaty rights, but it's a place to go. What we see here is a move away even from the current processes.
I can state, I think very unequivocally, that even in my cursory discussions with first nations, that first nations don't object to development; they just don't support development at any cost. I think there's a shared notion around an interest in efficiency and creation of economies and creating jobs.
We see the Mi'kmaq leading in this in so many respects, including in this area, so it is with that spirit that we come here to offer testimony. I hope that sheds some light. We want to honour our eastern relatives, the Mi'kmaq, for their leadership in this area for a long time.