Thank you, member of Parliament. It was a good question, the earlier question about the status quo.
I think we are looking for a safeguard from the further eroding or terminating or extinguishment of any of our rights. The basic fundamental issues as well as the principles of the Kelowna accord will be able to address some of the fundamental issues of why people feel left out, why people feel discriminated against because they cannot get access to housing, that they can't get the education sponsorship, or basic health care services, or any other basic services in that sense.
We are at the level of trying to deal with the system itself about the remedy. We acknowledge the problems. We try our best in our capacity in our communities to resolve problems at our level the best way possible.
We have customary laws; they're all handwritten, but that knowledge and education are passed on from generation to generation. So that customary law brings not only the leaders, but elders, women, youth or people in question, parents, relatives, and extended relatives. The process is trying to come up with a proper resolution.
So we have a system. But you're trying to impose that system. Your way is the right way, but not our way. That's the issue. We are trying to do what we can at the level of the capacities we have and the resources we have in our system.
Now, if you want to open up the question of human rights, the question of treaty rights to education, the treaty rights to housing, the treaty rights to health, or any of the treaty rights about our wildlife and our resources on the land, and the question about the infringement or the land being taken away.... We have little land left, and the former Prime Minister said, we stole the land.
That's the question. What further are you trying to do, with all the implications that arise, not only the commission—nor to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Indian Act or further to what section 25 in the Canadian Constitution Act is supposed to protect? The existing rights that we have are little. We're trying to protect what little we have left.
Your legislation or your policies or your system will essentially assimilate us. We are trying to safeguard what little we have, and we're trying to present in such a way—don't do it your way. We've tried to establish a process that is already established in our community. We already have a system in place, but the laws are unwritten. These are the things for which we need a capacity within the system itself, because it's there. Don't disrupt that. Don't take that away from us. It's our right. Those are the things we want to echo and present to the standing committee. We want to do it the right way.
Our people are the decision-makers. Our people are driving the system. We should not allow the parliamentarians to do such things that disrupt that and take that away from us. We're just trying to make sure it's there. We want to be able to develop a system from our people's perspective and from our forefathers', and we're building that future to carry on the duty and responsibilities. As trustees, as leaders, we're trying to do the right thing to keep that fiduciary duty within our system.
If you want to open it, how many complaints are you going to have across Canada with human rights to the Minister of Indian Affairs or you as the members of Parliament to the Government of Canada? Do you want open that up? And how long are you going to take to solve the problems that exist now? Every one of our people may register and file a complaint against you.
We want to resolve the problems. We want to work with you. Let's do it a better way, a proper way.
Thank you.
