Once again, I like the word “agreement” better than the word “consent”, but I do want some sort of protection for first nations communities that protects a water source that's connected to them, whether it's their drinking water or their fishing zones. There should be some kind of protection so that first nations have these things protected within this bill without it being dependent on an agreement with the province.
I'd like to believe that provinces would have a moral obligation to ensure that the water sources of first nations communities are protected, but they may not have any other incentive beside that, especially with competing things like industry, corporate greed and costs that provinces might have to associate with it. I'd hate to have to hold up the entire purpose of this legislation because a province refused to sign on to an agreement that is the essence of this legislation, which is to protect these water sources for first nations communities.
If there was a time frame or if something was inherently built in that provinces would have to do in a timely manner and in good faith to uphold the honour of the Crown, I could possibly support that, but as it's written, it gives the province the ability to say that they don't want to come to an agreement with first nations communities over protected zones that they may be drinking from or fishing from or that they may be reliant on for passage of barges, as Mr. McLeod described about the Mackenzie River.
I would hate to say that when we had the ability to define protected zones in a good way, we left all the power in the hands of the province that has held it for the last few decades, if not generations, and that we failed to reach a consensus on how we can ensure that first nations have those protection zones completed and at the same time give the province the ability to weigh in.
I think that “consult and co-operate” might still be the best wording on that, but I know that this is a contentious part of this bill, and I'd hate to move forward in a way that doesn't have the Bloc or the Conservatives on board with protecting provincial interests. I know that's important for them.
I think that the discussion needs to be on what the correct wording is that allows us all to leave here comfortable that not only are the first nations protected—I am from a first nations community—but also that the provinces have a reasonable say in upholding the honour of the Crown.