Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank my colleagues on this committee. I'm not a regular member of this committee, but the Yale First Nation is in my riding of Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon, and I would tell anyone who wants to see one of the most beautiful parts of British Columbia to make their way up to Yale and the Yale First Nation territory. It's a beautiful drive. Fraser Canyon is a beautiful part of our province.
Chief Hope, it's good to see you again. Going forward, I'm sure that you look forward to spending more time in your first nation territory and less time in Ottawa.
I did want to talk to you. You would have read the testimony from the meeting on Tuesday. It's very similar to newspaper articles that have been going around in Chilliwack, Hope, and the Fraser Canyon for a number of months now, where the Stó:lo grand chiefs, while not perhaps endorsing it, have certainly indicated that there's a real threat of physical violence should the Yale treaty be allowed to proceed.
What's your reaction to that sort of provocative language? They've also struck a war council, for instance, and things like that, which we're not used to seeing in first nation to first nation relationships. Could you give your reaction to those comments and let us know what you're planning to do to ensure that your people are safe and that there isn't an unnecessary escalation in your territory?