Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to each of you for appearing before us today.
My remarks will be directed primarily to Ms. Tabobondung and Mr. Dinsdale.
You mentioned in your presentation that your first demonstration was in May 2005 and you weren't heard at that time. You said you weren't even able to submit reports. You went on to say you support the measures in the Kelowna accord, and I think our government has been clear that we do as well, as it relates to closing the gaps and addressing the needs of aboriginal people. Twice I've heard the term “Kelowna plus”.
I don't question for a minute anyone's commitment to improving the lives and the lot of aboriginal people. I want you to know I requested to serve on this committee out of the same desire, not because of any expertise, but because of a desire to move ahead.
But it seems to me, in the last six to nine months of Parliament, we have wasted an inordinate amount of time talking about a word, “Kelowna”, and another word, “accord”. We've wasted committee time and we've wasted Parliament's time, and, more importantly, I believe we've wasted a lot of aboriginal peoples' time, especially the institutions that represent those people.
It is clear that our government has taken a number of concrete steps to address many of the needs of both on-reserve and off-reserve aboriginal people: large financial investments addressing housing, education, and water needs. Also, we've tried to begin to address some of the structural issues. The present collaborative approach in addressing matrimonial real property is one indicator of the kind of collaborative process we'd like to move ahead on.
My question is this. With the evidence of the financial investment this government has committed, in addition to addressing some of the structural needs, don't you think we are really wasting a lot of time talking about a concept from a year ago, instead of moving ahead and really getting down to work to address the needs of all Canadians collaboratively and cooperatively? That question is for both of you.