To add to what the national chief said earlier, I would say that the depth and breadth of the issue are greater than that. It directly affects the government-to-government relationship beyond the nation-to-nation relationship.
In reality, on the ground, it is more of a parent-child relationship, the children being the communities we are representing. That may influence the popular opinion in our communities. The people in our communities tend to see their leaders or band council as being entirely dependent on the federal government. That's what needs to be changed. The relationship is clearly and completely dysfunctional. That's why we are trying to find effective ways to mobilize our communities so that we can have the same status as the one in the political speeches, which is far from being the case right now.
After my flying visit in Ottawa, I am going back to Montreal to meet with the administration of a federal department. Our managers spend a lot of time preparing reports on the number of coffees they drink per day instead of taking the time they need to reach their targets, which is completely unacceptable. There are many examples and I could spend the entire day listing them.
Ultimately, it is extremely important for the communities that the relationship between the federal government and first nations can be an example of success. Otherwise, the credibility of our own institutions will be undermined. I agree with the national chief's comments just now. Our reality is not any different from Canadian society overall. We must also look at the situation from that perspective as well.