In Ontario, we recognize that, constitutionally and legally, there is an intersection between the federal government and the provincial government in indigenous relations. I think my presentation was fairly clear that we're more concerned about some of the standards that we have in place in Ontario being diminished, in a sense, in many ways from the child protection aspect that we have.
As I stated to the minister when we were in Saskatoon, I was cautiously optimistic and we do hope for the success of this. I'm simply here bringing some of the concerns that we have, predominately between clauses 10 and 17 of the bill, and what they mean for our Children, Youth and Family Services Act. Will we have to make amendments to that legislation?
That's why I'm seeking some clarity in that regard of what happens when the bill passes. You have a majority; I know how this all works. Are all aspects of the bill going to receive royal assent immediately, or will there be an opportunity for the provinces and territories to take some time and work with the federal government to work out some of these details?
As I said, in Ontario we're very proud that we have 50 children's aid societies, 12, soon to be 14, of which will be indigenous-led. I think we're making great strides, and my two counterparts from Ontario at the table here today who have spoken about children and youth in that indigenous sphere speak to the possibilities we have.
We're taking, I believe, a collaborative approach between our province and the federal government with respect to this piece of legislation. I can't say it's going to be so on every piece of legislation, but we're certainly happy in this regard to make sure that the real focus here isn't between a bunch of politicians in Toronto and Ottawa, but on the child, the family and the community.
That's what we've tried to do in Ontario, and I just want to make sure that the intent of this bill, which I believe comes from a good place, looks at that little child who is going to be part of customary care in Ontario and continues to receive those wraparound supports.
That's my motivation; that's my goal. I'm not as interested in having a constitutional argument as much as I want to make sure that the standards we have in place in our legislation that have empowered Ms. Crowe's and Ms. Stevens' organizations aren't watered down. That's the challenge we all have as legislators, and that's simply where we're at.
We just want to have that clarification. As I speak on behalf of my colleagues on the provincial and territorial level, I would appreciate having an additional conversation with the minister, but I certainly welcome the opportunity to be here today and to share some of the concerns we have with respect to the legislation we already have in place and to ensure that its integrity remains intact.