Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on March 30th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Okay. That's great.

Members and witnesses, thank you very much. You've done an excellent job, I should say, staying on time today. I know that's sometimes very difficult to do. Members also, I thank you for your patience and cooperation.

We're going to take a brief suspension here, just for a couple of minutes so we can say goodbye to the witnesses. Members, I'd ask you to stay for a few minutes. We have just a small piece of committee business to conduct, so don't go away.

The meeting is suspended.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Allons-y.

First I would entertain a motion for unanimous consent to proceed to committee business.

We have consent.

Many of you know that we've had with us Mary Hurley, who is our analyst, and has been, not just for this committee over the 40th Parliament, members, but stretching all the way back to the second session of the 35th Parliament. We're talking about 1996, when Mary joined this committee. At that time she had been working for the Library of Parliament for two years before she was assigned to this committee.

I'd like to use this time to have a representative from each of the parties at least have an opportunity to wish her well in the years ahead. If each of the representatives could perhaps just say a short bit in that regard, then we'll finish up with my final comments.

I'll start with Mr. Duncan, then we'll go to Mr. Russell, Monsieur Lemay, and Madam Crowder.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

First of all, thank you to the chair for arranging for this and making sure it's on the record, because I know from Mary's perspective that would be very important.

I'm the only member on the committee here who precedes Mary on the committee. The chair was doing some homework and noticed that the other day.

I do have some memories, of course, and one of them is going to the school in Sechelt when I represented that area. It was my riding. It's no longer my riding, but I still have strong memories when we were doing a schools study. That was my first Parliament, the 35th. We ended up in Stanley Park at the teahouse, I think.

You were there.

[Mary Hurley, Committee Researcher]

That wasn't my study.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

That wasn't your study?

[Mary Hurley]

No, that was Gilles Barrette.

[A voice]

You are so old, John.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Gilles is still here, but in the department now. I don't know whether I should continue this story. Anyway, I will.

The man who moderated the all-candidates meeting, the big televised one where I was the wannabe against the 14-year incumbent, happened to be in the teahouse. When we all walked in, all the MPs plus all the staff were there, and he came over and said I was on one of my junkets. It was a beautiful day in the winter in Vancouver and I was, in a sense, embarrassed. I think he thought I did this every second week or something.

Anyway, there've been some very special times through the years, and I can recall many instances with national leaders, Ovide Mercredi and others. I was reminded about how old I'm getting the other day because Ovide Mercredi came to the freedom event in Rod Bruinooge's office and buttonholed me. I looked and I wondered who this was. I knew this man. Then he made a comment about erecting a blockade. He was kidding, but sent a signal to me that this is the same guy. The floodgates opened.

So many issues were brought up in that timeframe, like the concern about section 67 of the Human Rights Act, the exclusion of first nations, the treaties in the north. We were doing a lot of the legislation for the treaties in the north. Now we're doing a northern economic development study. That's all water under the bridge, but it all happened while we were on committee.

There was the optional legislation, the one size doesn't fit all stuff, the First Nations Land Management Act and other things. We had the comprehensive agreements, Westbank, Nisga'a, and so on.

Mary, with your retirement, we're losing an institutional memory and an institution at the same time. I just want to say from our side of the table that we really appreciate everything you've contributed, and we're going to miss you.

[Applause]

[Mary Hurley]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Thank you, Mr. Duncan.

Mr. Russell.

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Even John's memory.... I'm glad I haven't been here as long as you have.

On behalf of myself, Larry, and all who have served on the committee as part of the Liberal Party and our delegation--and I'm surely going to say this on behalf of Nancy Karetak-Lindell, who has continued to correspond with Mary since she left the House of Commons--I can say that I've been here on this committee for five years, ever since I was elected, and you've been here as well. Through that time, you've been a steady hand when change has come to this committee, whether there have been new chairs or new members.

You have been knowledgeable, and more than knowledgeable, about almost every issue that has confronted us. You have been our memory when some of us do lose it and cannot recall what has happened five, ten, or that many years ago. You have been accommodating. I think that's important, given the nature of business around here at times, and the many pushes and strains one can have to take a certain position. You have been accommodating, yet fair and objective, and I know those principles are very dear to you. We have talked about things, and you have always been that wonderful balance and wonderful measure.

I would also say that you have tremendous research abilities that each of us has been witness to, and benefited from, as parliamentarians. Indeed, this whole institution has benefited from your abilities. And as we've been witness to your abilities, I think you have been witness to some great things in Parliament, whether it was the apology nearly two years ago, or historic land claims agreements, like the Nisga'a or the Labrador Inuit agreement, and there are many others. You know you can take great pride in having been part of those historic events.

Most of all, I believe that you're a wonderful person, and that's been exuded through your work. Not everybody can do that. Not everybody can exude their personal abilities through their work and maintain that wonderful balance. So you're a wonderful person, above all.

I wish you good health and happiness as you go forward. And there will be many, many years, I am sure of that.

I want to thank you on behalf of us and our party.

[Applause]

[Mary Hurley]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Mr. Lemay.

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

When I first arrived on the committee, I saw that lady seated in a chair and I wondered what she did.

[Mary Hurley]

She wondered the same thing.

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

She probably wondered the same thing about me. I have legal training, particularly in criminal law, but Indian Affairs didn't suit me as well. My leader asked me to take charge of that file. I must say I was vaguely aware of it, from a distance, but it wasn't the same thing when I arrived here.

Since 2006, I have been the Bloc's Indian Affairs critic. I have noted the outstanding and remarkable work done by Ms. Hurley. When I saw her in the House yesterday, and I'm going to repeat it here for those who haven't heard it. Ms. Hurley sent you the Library document yesterday concerning Bill C-3, which we will soon be examining, I was stunned. I'm being sincere. I was pleasantly surprised to see the scope of Ms. Hurley's knowledge and, especially, her patience. She did the research so that she could provide us with an extraordinary 15-page history of the Indian Act. Yesterday I realized that we were going to lose her. I hope the person who replaces her has the same qualities: discretion, concern for a job well done and knowledge of the file. That is what I will remember about Ms. Hurley.

In addition, I will especially remember the fact that we all went to Nunavut together, that we tried to buy some souvenirs. I get the impression that Rob Clarke and I intended to buy quite a bit more than you, poor Ms. Hurley. One day I hope it will be possible for you to go back there without Rob Clarke and me so that you can buy the works you deserve.

On behalf of the Bloc, I of course wish you the best possible retirement. I hope you have prepared for retirement and that you are ready for it. Don't worry though: if you want to come back to Parliament, the debates will still be the same. If you have the time, I'll invite you to visit a few aboriginal communities. Perhaps you haven't had the time to visit many, but if you have the opportunity, you will see there are some extraordinary aboriginal and Inuit communities in Canada and Quebec.

On behalf of the Bloc, thank you very much. You have been an outstanding reference authority. I am telling you that on my own behalf and probably on behalf of Mr. Lévesque as well. Now I know who she is, someone who works for the Library of Parliament, someone who does her job very well.

Thank you, and I wish you a happy retirement.

[Mary Hurley]

Thank you very much, Mr. Lemay.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We'll go to Ms. Crowder.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to echo my colleague's words with a heartfelt thanks for the contribution you've made to this committee. I've been here since 2006. As you're well aware, there have been many challenges for all of us, because there have been so many new members on the committee.

I really appreciate the patience you've shown with our questions and our scrambling to come to grips with really complex issues. The research you and your team have provided has been thorough. It has been analytical. It's raised important aspects of legislation or studies we've been considering that perhaps we wouldn't have come to on our own. That thoughtful analysis is really essential for us in doing our jobs appropriately. I have every faith that the parliamentary library team will find two people to replace one of you. That's really what it will be.

I just had a procedural question. If we filibuster long enough past your retirement date, do you have to stay?

On behalf of the New Democrats and all of my colleagues, I just want to express our thanks for your professionalism, and I wish you all the very best in your retirement. If you should ever come to the west coast and are interested in seeing some unique first nations ways of being in the world, I heartily welcome you to my riding and other places on the west coast. I'm sure that Mr. Duncan does too.

Thank you again, Mary. I wish you all the best in your retirement.

[Mary Hurley]

Thanks very much. Thank you.

[Applause]

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Thank you very much, members. I know that your comments are echoed by your colleagues in each of the parties. While I appreciate everything you've said, I can tell you from the chair's perspective that the ability and value that the research analysts bring to this role just cannot be calculated.

Mary has in fact served eight different chairs in the course of her time here, going back to 1996. Several of them would do one stint, miss a year or two, and then come back. You will know that the complexity and far-reaching implications of the work this committee considers require somebody with the knowledge Mary brings to the file. It is just unbelievable.

Mr. Duncan mentioned earlier that there are some members around here.... I notice that Mr. Bagnell in fact was on a committee back in the early 1990s as well, and others have mentioned their time on the committee. But it is an extraordinary task to be able to put it together in terms that members can, in a fairly short time, digest, be able to contemplate and pose questions so that the right information is drawn out and reports and recommendations can be salient and on point. This is a tremendous job that Mary has provided this committee for over 14 years.

With that, I really just want to say not just on behalf of the committee that's here with us today and the 40th Parliament but on behalf of all the committee chairs who have served this committee and the members going back to 1996—I know that they would echo those same sentiments—Mary, on behalf of all of us stretching back during your time, congratulations and many good years ahead. Health and happiness to you in all of your endeavours.

We have a gift for you. We have something to present and we need you to open this. We're going to do that right now. You can stand up.

[Mary Hurley]

I need a few minutes to prepare my speech.

[An hon. member]

You won't need any footnotes for this.

[Mary Hurley]

No. I'm a big footnote person, as you know.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

This is a limited edition print by an Ojibwa artist by the name of Doris Cyrette. She comes from Fort William First Nation near Thunder Bay.

You'll know that Mary is in fact a birdwatcher. That's one of the things she does.

She watches the birds all the time.

Hold this up, Mary. Doris actually paints birds, and the name of this print is “The Mentor”. We thought it was particularly appropriate, because Mary Hurley has been our mentor for 14 years.

Congratulations, Mary.

[Applause]