Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Division 49 amends the act and repeals provisions related to the First Nations Statistical Institute. It also authorizes the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development to close out the institute's affairs.
The institute provides statistical information on first nations. Given the budget cuts at Statistics Canada, there is a problem when it comes to information. You need only think of the long-form census. In this case, there is no guarantee that the information affecting first nations communities will be collected, information that is crucial in order to have policies that promote first nations development. This is yet another example of the government's attack on science; that ties in to our motion today. The government does not believe in science-based information. For that reason, we are going to vote against this division.