Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Indeed this amendment would take a radically different approach from the one that is taken in Bill C-3. This would amend paragraph 6(1)(a) of the Indian Act, which basically was the provision allowing the registration after 1985 of all the individuals who were previously entitled to registration. The amendment would allow any person born before April 17, 1985, to be registered under paragraph 6(1)(a) of the Indian Act if that person was able to identify an ancestor who was, at the time of his or her death, entitled to be registered, which obviously increases significantly the number of persons entitled to registration under the Indian Act.
I would point out that I'm not clear personally on the purpose of the last three and a half lines of the proposed amendment, which read, “or of a person referred to in paragraph 11(1)(a), (b), (c), (d), (e) or (f)”.
This is a reference to the previous act and not to the current legislation. Individuals who were entitled to be registered under section 11 of the previous act are actually covered by paragraph 6(1)(a). So to my understanding--