Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I want to tell you a little about the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. As I'm sure some of you know, we're one of the five national organizations, and we have been around for over 50 years. We represent the off-reserve, non-status and status Métis and the southern Inuit. That's just to give you an idea of where our organization is coming from.
Although I think the UNDRIP declaration is definitely something that I support as an indigenous woman, an indigenous person and an indigenous leader, the issue I have, though, is that we are not looking at indigenous.... I'm talking about the preamble of the bill and specifically about the interpretation of indigenous people being the definition of the Constitution of Canada, which says that “aboriginal peoples” are “Indian, Inuit and Métis”.
Unfortunately, I find that Canada has adopted a distinction base, which takes in first nations, Inuit and Métis, and it's used quite often in documents and in legislation. In my view, “first nations” is not a legal term. My issue is that if Canada is going to adopt this legislation, then we need to be sure that when they talk about “Indigenous peoples” it means all indigenous peoples, because the declaration does not determine if you're indigenous on reserve, if you're indigenous off reserve, if you're status or if you're not status. It talks about “Indigenous peoples” in this country.
When we look back and I look at the convention, right at the beginning of the convention they condemn “colonialism” and all practices of segregation and discrimination associated with it, in whatever form and wherever they exist, so right off the bat, even in the convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, by not including all indigenous peoples within Canada, how can a piece of legislation be law when right off the bat they are leaving out the vast majority of indigenous peoples who do not have a status and who do not live on a reserve? How can you say you're working with all indigenous peoples?
I want to quote something from UNDRIP. Article 2 says, “Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity.”
On reading that, my concern is that already this piece of legislation is not being practised. Canada did adopt it at the United Nations. I participated at the United Nations and, as a matter of fact, I was at the constitutional talks back in 1982. I've been around for a little while. My biggest concern.... I totally agree with the intent and what the United Nations has done. It's a very good document. However, my concern with regard to Canada and the way it's written and the current preamble is that it's leaving out 80% of the indigenous peoples in Canada.
When we're talking about that, that is my concern with this preamble and with this piece of legislation. If you're going to put something through and it talks about indigenous, then it needs to be all indigenous peoples within this country and not a selected few. By “selected” I'm talking about those defined in terms of the Indian Act registration.
That's where I am at, and I want to thank you for letting me speak and address the committee. I do appreciate it and I will answer any questions you may have. I look forward to the questions.