Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to just add that I'm really appalled by the accusations that we on this side do not support human rights. And I think this discussion we have about the duty to consult has been taken out of context as well.
I'm sure you all know that aboriginal and treaty rights are entrenched in the Constitution of this country, and that the Supreme Court rulings on the duty to consult were not made because there has been an equitable history here for first nations in comparison to Canadians. There has been a call for these measures within the Constitution and in Supreme Court rulings because there has been inequity, and that inequity is best played out or displayed in the living conditions of first nations.
Mr. Bruinooge should know, as well as anybody else, that this is in the Churchill riding. Many of us represent people here, and the duty to consult is not simply about the representation of your constituency. If we want to talk about the representation of our constituency, I don't think we should confuse that with the duty to consult. I think that representing our constituents is what we're here for, certainly, but it is also to uphold the law and to impact the law so that we do our best to ensure that this country becomes a stronger and greater country.
I have a riding that has been, in terms of my representation as their member of Parliament, very clear and has articulated to me and to this committee. And I believe there has been an overwhelming majority of first nations representation here that has clearly stated that they are not against human rights. They're not against the repeal of section 67, but there are these rulings, there are these rights within the Constitution of Canada, because there is a responsibility that we have to move forward to ensure that we can right historical wrongs, and those historical wrongs play out every single day in the lives of first nations people in this country.
We cannot simply say that we want to extend human rights and ensure that they are there. We need to be looking at the living conditions of first nations people, and we need to be participating with first nations people to ensure that 25 years down the line we are not still dealing with a piece of legislation that has not had a positive impact on their lives.
For me, it is reprehensible that we even consider the idea, that we move ahead and that 10 or 20 years down the line the living conditions are worse. The reason we are here is to ensure that we have frameworks in place that represent Canadians. One of the basic tenets in terms of health and well-being is self-determination, and if we undermine self-determination by our processes and what we think is right without listening to people, then we undermine the well-being. I see that every single day in my riding.
So I think, in all good conscience, these types of accusations should cease. I think we have a responsibility to be very clear about the law and that we have a responsibility to respond to people and hear what they're saying. Petty arguments or petty politics do not have a place when we're discussing something so precious as human rights. I think we should try to move along in a way that we do what we believe is best without making these types of accusations across the floor, and if we have a difference of opinion, for whatever reason, then we do so.
We have a responsibility, as you said, to respond to what we believe is driving this agenda, and for us, on this side of the House, we accept the overwhelming majority of the witnesses and what they said.
For me, as a first nations person, aboriginal and treaty rights as entrenched in the Constitution are paramount.
We understand human rights as being part of our aboriginal rights. We had a very healthy, very good lifestyle. To discredit first nations people as not having human rights is absolutely appalling.
I think we've been very clear, first nations and aboriginal people who are in the House, that our success is largely due to our culture and to the way our cultures have lived. I think one of the things, as aboriginal people, we have very clearly said is that we don't want to and we don't have to—legally, we do not even have to—give up who we are as aboriginal people to participate in Canada.
I think this is a very important discussion. So thank you for the opportunity to participate in this discussion at this table. Thank you.