Evidence of meeting #3 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 agreement.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:35 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
That's correct.
9:35 a.m.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
A number of questions had come up about the transition, back when the bill was being studied, that are still not clear to me.
Every claim that was in the queue when this bill was passed has maintained its place in the queue, right? But the minister has three years and the department has three years to assess what is happening with those claims.
9:35 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
9:35 a.m.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
But my understanding is that if they submit new information outside the six-month window, they drop to the bottom of the list.
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Well, the clock will start again.
9:40 a.m.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
The clock will restart. So they'll be in a position where they have a further period of time to wait on top of the time they have already waited.
For people who have to refresh their claims because of these new rules, will they all get funding to refresh their claims?
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Those who ask will get it.
9:40 a.m.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Those who ask will get it. Was that included in the letter that went out to them, that there was an opportunity to have some additional funding in the event they needed to provide additional information?
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I believe it was, yes.
9:40 a.m.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
With regard to the political agreement, now the numbers escape me, but there was going to be a process for claims that were above the limit.
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Over $150 million.
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We're still engaged with the AFN to work out that process. As a matter of fact, I'm going to Vancouver on Thursday to meet with the AFN to finalize the process that we will agree on regarding how we're going to process these claims.
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
9:40 a.m.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
What about the rest of the terms that were in here? There was reacquisition of land and additions to reserve, which is of course a really important topic for many bands. For example, in my area, for many of the bands there is virtually no crown land available. What crown land is available isn't necessarily being put aside for first nations. Of course there is concern, with the talk of the government selling public assets as a deficit reduction strategy, that first nations will be left out of that conversation.
Am I still okay?
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
You've essentially finished, Ms. Crowder. A brief response would be okay.
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Specific Claims, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
With the additions-to-reserve process, there is a discussion going on with the AFN as well about that policy and how best to revise it. So those discussions are under way—
9:40 a.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
With the expertise centre in the department, the one who was dealing with the additions-to-reserves policy.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Thank you very much.
We'll go to Mr. Duncan, for seven minutes.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Thank you very much.
Good morning, Mr. Roy, Mr. Billingsley, and Mr. Brant.
I think it's important to talk a little bit about this Indian Specific Claims Commission in terms of what a sea change this is from where we were previously. There's a strong commitment from all sides to make this thing work. I know the case of one of the specific claims that was in the system from my area. It was 20 years old. Now we're looking at a process that has a distinct timeframe to it. This has really gone down very well indeed. I'd like to commend the department on its foresight. I think there was some real collegiality here among the Senate, the House of Commons, and the department.
In your testimony—it may have just been the translation—you talked about the Tsawwassen agreement, having that agreement come into force on April 3. Now, the translation said next year, but it's actually this year, correct?
9:40 a.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Okay.
I was actually at the Yukon Days breakfast this morning. It was most enlightening. A lot has happened in the north. A significant part of what's happened up there is due to the self-government agreements, the comprehensive claims that have been settled. The Yukon has 11 of the 14 first nations that are now part of that. We have a new dynamic, which is that the three territories are now realizing that collaboration is in their best interests. I wondered if you could maybe talk about how the department has some directions that might encourage that.
9:45 a.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Thank you, Mr. Duncan, for the questions.
Under those self-government and land claim agreements we now have in the north, we have established some forums for discussion. We have, for example, an intergovernmental forum in Yukon involving the territorial government and the first nations, which are self-governing. In this forum you can discuss issues around implementation and the relationship that needs to be established among those governments. Any kind of new program that the government puts in place will, of course, be accessible to the first nations that are under self-government regimes. So they can benefit from any new initiatives.
But the fact that we have that forum in place, regrouping the three levels of government—the first nations government, the territorial government, and the federal government—is really the key to success in the area. We are working very closely with that group on information sharing, to eventually develop our mandate for the financial arrangement that needs to be renewed in the north right now.