Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Feb. 27th, 2008

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Perhaps an overarching synopsis as to what we are trying to do with this bill is that we are trying to change the system. There is a broken system in place right now. We admit that the federal government is the judge and jury on the negotiation of specific claims. This bill is taking that out of the hands of the government and making an independent tribunal that will deliver the results that everyone is hoping for, something that has, for many years, been called for by many first nations leaders.

I think that must be remembered as we go through the process of debating this bill. It's important to hear from witnesses, and I think there has been a lot of good testimony today, which I know will be discussed by our committee members.

I still have to go back to the point that was made earlier by Ms. Keeper in relation to consultation. She used a bunch of words, of course, that I think have a lot of loaded meaning and are taken advantage of by a lot of politicians.

So I ask the question, if the AFN can't say, “We completed consultation”, then who can? I think that's a really good question to ask the panel. If the Assembly of First Nations can't say they completed what they believed was consultation, then where does this word “consultation” go from there?

[The Chair, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

I need a very fast answer, if anyone wants to deal with that.

[Deputy Grand Chief Glen Hare]

It's the government's job to consult, not ours.

[The Chair, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Okay.

Monsieur Lemay.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

I have heard everything you have said, and I have a very important question to ask all three of you. I am asking you for a very brief reply. Are you asking us to examine Bill C-30 as a reconciliation process or an adversarial process?

[Deputy Grand Chief Glen Hare]

Yes.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Yes what?

Yes to which of the processes?

[Eliza Montour]

Yes, reconciliation. That's what we're looking for.

[Luke Hunter]

Yes. Reconciliation.

[Grand Chief Denise Stonefish]

I would have to agree, yes.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

That considerably changes the way in which we will look at this bill from now on. For me, at least, it changes everything. In fact, a specific claims tribunal is adversarial in that it deals with two opposing views. You are telling us that you want to come to the tribunal in a spirit of reconciliation. That is what I heard.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Thank you.

Ms. Crowder.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

In three minutes it's very difficult to get into any kind of complex issue, so what I would rather do is turn it over to you to use my three minutes to leave us with a final statement from each of you about what you want us to carry away from what was said and heard today.

Maybe we could start with Chief Stonefish.

[Grand Chief Denise Stonefish]

Again, at the end of my original presentation I indicated that we would like the government to withdraw Bill C-30. Then throughout some of the comments and questions today I indicated that we would like the opportunity to work with this, because in one aspect it is going to be a benefit to the communities.

Again, I state that our biggest concern was the lack of consultation.

[Luke Hunter]

I think I outlined my issues about what needs to be in there in order for the majority of the first nations to utilize the tribunal, and then we need to look at the problems that I highlighted in my opening comments. Certainly there has to be a way we can draw our other treaty partner, Ontario, to this process regarding land. That's the heart and soul, I guess, of our first nation—the land and how we utilize resources.

[Deputy Grand Chief Glen Hare]

Again, for me the timeframe is of grave concern here. We are only here, as I said in the beginning of my opening statement, to enhance this and to work with everyone to strengthen this.

But again, I stress I do have a concern with the timeframes and the time of the year when this is all coming out. Because this impacts the whole country, all the governments, and to do it in such a short time.... We do have that concern. In our leadership we have that concern, and once we meet with the membership at the grassroots level it will really be...you know. I think we need to work together more on the timeframe of how we want to work with something as big as this.

It's good where it's going; it's just that it's going way too fast.

[The Chair, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

With that, I'd like to wrap up the meeting today.

I'd like to thank our witnesses for being here.

We will reconvene on Monday at our regular time.

Thank you. This meeting is adjourned.