Good afternoon.
I am Manny Jules, the chief commissioner of the First Nations Tax Commission.
Thank you for this opportunity to appear before this committee.
This is the 22nd submission I've made. I have personally made 15 pre-budget submissions to this committee.
In December 2020 I appeared before this committee to make seven recommendations for budget 2021. One of the recommendations was to expand our fiscal powers to include fuel, alcohol, cannabis and tobacco sales tax. We call this the “FACT” tax. In February 2021 this committee included that recommendation in its report to the House of Commons, and in April 2021 the federal government included the FACT tax in budget 2021.
The support of this committee is appreciated. Because of your support, the Department of Finance has invited us to discuss how we can help them implement the FACT tax. Because of your support, the First Nations Fiscal Management Act has become the most successful indigenous-led legislative initiative in Canadian history. There are now over 320 first nations in the FMA.
Your support of the FMA has led to billions in new revenues, infrastructure and investment in our communities. This has meant thousands of new jobs. It has meant that thousands of new first nation laws have been implemented by hundreds of university-accredited and professionally certified administrators. The FMA stands as an international example of how to respect indigenous rights and achieve economic reconciliation by implementing indigenous jurisdiction.
This year the commission is seeking your support for an important improvement to the FMA. We want to add the first nations infrastructure institute so that first nations can build more sustainable infrastructure and do it sooner. The infrastructure institute will allow participating first nations to reduce their asset-related insurance premiums. It will allow us to close the $30-billion infrastructure deficit on reserves much sooner by monetizing transfers. We are also seeking to renew the mandates of our FMA institutions so that we can support more first nation fiscal powers, improve financial and statistical management frameworks, and support more first nations. We are asking this committee to support other amendments that will increase our access to capital, improve our implementation of first nation jurisdictions and expand our capacity and resources to implement innovations.
In the past 154 years, the Parliament of Canada has passed, repealed and amended many thousands of laws. This has been done to adapt to changes in economic opportunities, technologies, societal priorities, environmental challenges, pandemics, demographics and fiscal challenges. This has supported the evolution of Canada.
Now consider our plight. The Indian Act and its oversight bureaucracy have not changed much over the last 150 years. In fact, for its first 50 years, all amendments to the Indian Act increased the restrictions placed on us. This legislation was amended in 1920 to make it easier to take away our children. As you know, 215 unmarked graves were discovered in my community in May 2021. The Indian Act was amended again in 1927, so we couldn't even tax ourselves. We call this taksis. We used it to pursue our title claims, improve our community infrastructure and look after our own children. This was taken away.
My community understands the relationship between our loss of taksis and title, and what the government did to our children. In October 2021, 13 families from my community personally petitioned the Prime Minister to renew our fiscal power. I was happy to see the Prime Minister's commitment to indigenous tax jurisdiction reflected in the Minister of Finance's mandate letter. Supporting these FMA amendments will allow this committee to meet this commitment.
These amendments will also allow first nations to better adapt to change, when change happens, and right at the community level. It will give us the jurisdictional and institutional space we need to innovate and adapt to change.
We are only asking for what you take for granted: the ability for government and citizens to innovate, learn, adapt and succeed.
Reconciliation will never be brought about by rhetoric or a government program. Reconciliation can only be achieved by creating a Canada that includes us, and that means hard work and putting decision-making power into our own hands.
As my ancestors said in 1910, let us work together so that we can make each other great and good.
Thank you.