Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Oct. 17th, 2017

[Stephen Gagnon]

As Joe said, specific claims are usually more precise. An action or series of actions caused harm to a first nation. Generally speaking, they're more discrete issues, whereas in a comprehensive claim you're talking potentially about self-government. You're talking about lands, resource sharing, management, co-management, that sort of thing, so I think naturally those are going to be a little more complicated to deal with over time.

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

Joe, I don't remember exactly, but you talked a little about rights tables or something like that. How many of these tables are there?

[Joe Wild]

We're somewhere around 50 recognition of rights and self-determination tables now across the country.

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

Who sits at those tables?

[Joe Wild]

Negotiation teams from the department, as well as negotiators from other government departments sometimes, for example, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans or Environment Canada, and then it's whoever is representing the indigenous groups we are negotiating with.

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

Are these tables located here in Ottawa or across the country? When this negotiation happens, where does it happen?

[Joe Wild]

If they're in British Columbia, for example, they will happen in British Columbia. I have an office in British Columbia of about 75 people or so, and they look after the negotiations that cover British Columbia, as well as the Yukon. The rest of the country will normally be split: some sessions will be held in the home communities and then sometimes they will come to Ottawa. But the rest of the negotiators are located here out of Ottawa.

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

These tables are separate from comprehensive claims or specific claims.

[Joe Wild]

That's right.

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

In my former life I was an automotive mechanic at a Chrysler dealership up in northern Alberta. How would I know about these tables?

[Joe Wild]

I don't know that you would. I think that gets to a root issue that we have in that there's not enough information available for Canadians to understand some of this work and what it means to have a dialogue based on recognition of rights, on moving to actualize the vision of self-determination of indigenous people. We have a website for specific claims that talks about the claims and where they are in the process. We also have a website that lists those in the treaty or self-determination dialogues.

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

I'm sorry but that's the full five minutes, plus 13 seconds.

I want to thank you for coming out and responding to our questions. We look forward to seeing you again.

We wish you all the best for a speedy resolution of these claims. I don't want to get already to the report, but we have heard a theme.

Thank you very much for coming. Meegwetch.

That will conclude the public session of our meeting. We'll take two minutes to empty the room and then we'll proceed with an in camera business session.

[Proceedings continue in camera]