Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the witnesses for coming in to testify today before the committee.
The true intention of my private member's bill is to bring public awareness and bring this to the forefront, and to have an honest and open debate. The intention of my private member's bill was never to be partisan, but to really discuss how outdated the Indian Act is.
What I've seen throughout the history of the Indian Act, or in a good 20 or 30 years when I've been exposed to it, is I've seen first nations leaders.... At the most recent AFN election, all the candidates for the national chief stated the need to move beyond the Indian Act.
National Chief Shawn Atleo has even stated that the “Indian Act is a 19th century relic which continues to hold us back in delivering better lives for our people.” That was back on December 6, 2011 on the CBC.
As a first nations person, and for a lot of other first nations people, if you're not a first nations person, you really don't understand what a person goes through, the hardships or the barriers that first nations face. You can be exposed to it and you can see it, but if you're not a first nations person, it's difficult to live the day-to-day lives and be treated as a second-class citizen, especially in today's more modern, respectable Canada. As first nations we're not treated the same.
With regard to your testimony today, you've mentioned some of the barriers that first nations face. I'd like to get some clarification. I know you don't speak on behalf of Chief Shawn Atleo, but can you mention some of the barriers he has mentioned or what he has brought up in the past?