Evidence of meeting #16 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Thank you, Ms. Crowder.
Lastly, Mr. Bélanger, you have one more minute, which means six minutes.
10:30 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
On the hypothetical office building that has been acquired and is now part of a reserve, and for which you're going to give me the tax treatment, would you also be kind enough to tell me what the tax treatment would be of the individuals working in that building, whether they be aboriginal or non-aboriginal citizens?
I want to follow up on economic development, which I gather is basically the entire reason we have these transfers. In its response to the Auditor General's 2005 study, the department said it had prepared a draft plan for evaluating the impacts of comprehensive land claims agreements and that a pilot evaluation was due for completion in early 2007.
Are you familiar with that?
10:30 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
That would be under treaties and aboriginal government. If there's a particular piece of information you're looking for, we'd be delighted to get you the answer.
10:30 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
This is interesting, because I asked this same question of the Auditor General's staff last week, and they told me I should ask the department. So I'm asking the department and I'm still not getting an answer.
10:30 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We'd be happy to get the answer from the department for you. Again, as you indicated before, we'd rather not guess at an answer; we'd much prefer to get the correct answer for you from the department.
10:30 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Okay, but you are the assistant deputy minister for lands and economic development.
10:30 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
That's correct.
10:30 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
So would you not be aware there was a pilot evaluation for the economic impact of these settlements? Were you there early in 2007?
10:35 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We're not involved in the settlement aspect of the department; that's a different part of the department.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
No, this is about the economic impact of these lands once they're added to the reserves. Is that not part of your mandate?
10:35 a.m.
Director, Lands Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
But that deals with comprehensive claims in the north, right?
10:35 a.m.
Director, Lands Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Okay, so that's the distinction. The north has its own part of the department.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Okay, so you are not involved in the north, just with Manitoba and Saskatchewan currently—the non-north.
10:35 a.m.
Director, Lands Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes, south of 60°.
10:35 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Do you want us to get further information?
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Oh yes, I would like to know if indeed this pilot evaluation has been completed. It was supposed to be completed in early 2007. I'd like to have a sense of what that evaluation is—unless that results in a whole brick of paper, which I'm not interested in being buried in—and what elements it contains. I would like to know, indeed, if it was performed, and what the results were and where we are going with it.
Now, if this is for the north, do the areas south of 60° have a similar process?
10:35 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I'm not aware of that. No, I don't believe so.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Okay, that's your bailiwick.
Do you have a method of evaluating the impacts of the settlements, that is, the impacts of the additional lands brought into reserves? Do you have a method for evaluating the impact?
10:35 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The additions to reserves process is based upon land that is selected by first nations; it's not us who picks the lands to be added to reserves.
Within my area, have we done a study on that? No, I don't believe we have.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
If I'm not mistaken, the Government of Canada committed about $190 million to Manitoba alone to acquire those lands selected by the aboriginal community. So would we not want to have an indication of the impact of that $190 million of taxpayers' money?
10:35 a.m.
Director, Lands Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Well, in and above any economic development, it has brought certainty to a legal situation that was uncertain, and it has fulfilled a treaty obligation. So there's that aspect of it. I guess we haven't done the assessment of how this has impacted the economic situation of those first nations. We've been dealing with the legal obligations.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
10:35 a.m.
Director, Lands Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We've been dealing with this because it's a legal obligation, and we haven't done the assessment of what the positive impacts would be on the economic situation.