Thank you, Brian.
I guess it's a question of how to implement market-oriented first nations policy changes. The Indian Taxation Advisory Board proposes the following agenda to the finance committee for addressing the root causes of first nations market failure and improving the fiscal balance of Canada.
The finance committee should support initiatives that provide first nations with the fiscal means to undertake development initiatives, such as developing infrastructure to business grade, and enough fiscal certainty to have the incentive to pursue this. The tax advisory board is proposing a specialized first nations infrastructure program to provide part of the solution.
The finance committee should continue to support initiatives, such as the first nations goods and services sales tax, that increase first nations revenues. We suggest a greater role for the First Nations Tax Commission in support of the first nations GST to accelerate the take-up by first nations.
The finance committee should also support initiatives that provide for more first nations fiscal certainty. The federal government should commit itself to a formula-based transfer system that explicitly links service standards on first nations lands to those prevailing in the provinces. It should make this available to any first nation that can meet specific qualifications with respect to governance. The formula should support the delineation of financial responsibilities among the first nations and the federal and provincial governments. This would allow governments to provide greater certainty over the provision and policy pertaining to specific services.
The finance committee should support initiatives that raise awareness about the potential for economic development and what is required to realize it. The tax advisory board suggests that open-market housing on first nations land should be one of these initiatives. The finance committee should support initiatives that allow first nations to create greater certainty over land use and title, such as the proposed first nations land title act, which would forever change the way first nations operate in this country by allowing us, as first nations people, to use our lands in much the same way as every other Canadian in this country.
Thank you.