This bill is important. There is the recognition of the Haida Nation as the title and rights holders legally and formally through this. It signals that shift from the imposed Canadian governance through the Indian Act as the only means to represent your people to recognizing our constitution and our governance as self-determined by the Haida people from a grassroots level built up. It recognizes that in a strong way and clarifies again the relationship going forward.
On a more technical or practical level, it also provides the Council of the Haida Nation with the tools to properly interface with the western system as a government—like any other government—with the powers to enter into contracts, go to court, handle money and deal with the same taxation exemptions and abilities as other governments.
There's an important function there for the Council of the Haida Nation that up until now had to be fulfilled through operating under British Columbia's Societies Act. We had to arm as a British Columbia society to operate our government. It's been a conflict to have to come under a provincial, non-profit model while you're running your sovereign government.
It will help us move to operating solely under the Council of the Haida Nation and streamline our administration and financial affairs.