Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Nov. 23rd, 2016

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

Yes.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

So they are bona fide by your nation but not by the Indian Act.

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

Yes, exactly, that's what I said. We recognize that if you can trace your descendancy through one parent, on either side, then you are entitled to be registered as a member of the Anishinabek Nation, or E-dbendaagzijig, those who belong.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Would you be appreciative if those whom your band recognizes as members of your band got status through that process as well? Is that something you'd be interested in? Is that something you are working towards?

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

Exactly. That's what we are aspiring to, because right now we are losing so many more of our members under the current system. This is one way of ensuring that we don't lose any more of our people. We cannot afford to lose any more of our members.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

You would be appreciative if, when you grant somebody membership to your band, the status would automatically come with that.

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

If that's what we are going to be working towards, it would have to be.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Is that what you are working towards?

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

Yes, because we will have our own registrar. We'll have our own body of governance and leadership to determine all that. It has all been drafted already. I didn't have time to really get into it.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

You mentioned a band that has no more status members as of 2013.

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

That's under the current Indian Act.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Do they have a band and council then?

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

Yes, they do.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

They do?

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

I believe that because so many of their people had lost their Indian status over the years, it dwindled to the point where we have to continue to ensure that the grandchildren, or maybe even the great-grandchildren, of those original members are not lost. Bill C-31 made a slight change

I think that is what those other bills and Bill S-3 are going to do.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

So there's still a reserve there, and there's still a band and council that are operating it.

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

Yes.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Have any interesting conundrums come out of that or has it continued to function fairly normally?

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

It's still functioning right now, because it just happened.

They did a study, and that was the outcome of the study. With their current membership and the way things were going, they said that was going to be the end of the members who could be registered as status Indians, unless changes were made.

This is why we came up with our E-dbendaagzijig citizenship act. If they could trace their descendancy, their ancestry, to one parent on either side, they would be able to be recognized and be members of that community.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

The worry is that you would have a reserve with no people tied to it.

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

That is the ultimate worry. I believe there are several.

On Manitoulin, there's a reserve. It's a small one. There are no members there, but it's still a reserve.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

No one lives on the reserve anymore?

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell]

No.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Okay. That's interesting.

I'll cede my time, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Andy Fillmore]

Thank you.

The next questioner is Romeo Saganash.

Go ahead, please.