To Mr. Seymour, I'm not a regular member of this committee. I'm our critic for natural resources, which of course is certainly related. But the bill is about royalties and ensuring that the ability of the government to make sure that first nations receive the royalties they should is in the regulations--calculating that, and all those kinds of things. It's not about the kind of economic development you're proposing, yet I'm not aware of anything in the present law that impedes that.
We saw the letter from Minister Strahl talking about centres of excellence. I think you're saying you'd rather have that enshrined in legislation. I don't see how this is the right place to put it.
As to Chief Buffalo, the fact that you're here indicates that you are entitled to come here and bring forward your concerns, which you're doing today. The point that members have been making is that in deciding what we're going to do about that, we each take into account the fact that this is the first we've heard of proposed amendments of this nature after this has been before Parliament--or the identical bill previously--for a year now. Those are concerns.
When I look at subsection 6(1.1), it seems to me that enabling the government to do this is a positive step. But regardless of this provision, when a government makes regulations there are at least 90 days before that comes into effect. During that time there can be consultation, you can react, you can create media about this and get reaction to it.
We have the process of the joint committee on scrutiny of regulations here in Parliament that examines regulations and can challenge them if they're problematic. So there are a number of other means to react to whatever regulations come forward. But the fact that you're putting into legislation something that at least provides another incentive, another reason to make sure there's consultation, seems to me to be a positive step.