Mr. Douglas Fairbairn (Senior Counsel, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Department of Indigenous Services) at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee

The concept of “consult and co-operate” is embedded in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and that, in turn, draws on the language in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is the modern terminology that is accepted globally, has been imported into Canada and is the gold standard in terms of dealing with indigenous concerns. That is why that language is used in Bill C-61.