The problem is that there are absolutely no deterrents or legal sanctions imposed on anybody who has been falsely claiming indigenous identity. There are recent cases like that of Amira and Nadya Gill and their mother, Karima Manji. There are no consequences.
Michelle Latimer is a millionaire. Here she is, now celebrated at international film festivals, and there's absolutely no deterrence. Everybody sees this and says, “Oh, hey, I can claim to be indigenous. I can even partner up with somebody and get them to sign on the dotted line. Here I have access to thousands, millions, billions of dollars,” and here we are in this committee.
The problem is that there are absolutely zero legal consequences for claiming to be indigenous. There are a lot of resources to be exploited, and there's a lot of exploitation that has been going on. There has to be more than lip service in these committees. There have to be real legal consequences.
There has to be a law. Our people are witnessing this, and we are experiencing real trauma. You go to any urban centre in this country and you will see my people homeless on the street. Don't think that we don't see that as an injustice when our limited resources are being given away with the checking of a box.