Thanks.
I think its really important to remember again that the UN declaration didn't just pop out of nowhere. This goes back to member Battiste's question.
There's actually 20 years of jurisprudence and studies that have happened at the international level that help us understand the UN declaration. While we say in Canada we don't know it, it's only because we haven't looked. I'm happy to provide this committee with various studies that have happened that have really fleshed out. I can provide decisions on how the UN is understanding free, prior and informed consent.
We focus a lot on consent. Consent is really included to ensure that indigenous peoples who have a really good understanding of their rights are involved in decision-making where their rights are specifically and especially impacted. I think you're absolutely right to connect free, prior and informed consent to the right of indigenous peoples to participate in decision-making. The idea internationally is that indigenous peoples' inclusion, including gaining their free, prior and informed consent, helps us to make better decisions, ones that are going to stand.
I think, finally, this idea of a veto or not veto suggests that we're not having a conversation. This is where it's important to remember that we also have free, prior and informed. The whole idea when you use those four concepts together is about making sure that indigenous peoples are there, are engaged in the process, and can provide the necessary information. It's making sure that there is this idea of a back and forth conversation where we can understand the concerns that might be addressed, have opportunities to try to address them, and work together to come to a resolution. That's the understanding of the package of free, prior and informed consent.