Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This morning, I will begin by speaking on behalf of my national chief, Elmer St. Pierre, who can't be here today, either in person or virtually, due to health problems.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin peoples where we are meeting today.
For over 50 years, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, or CAP, has advocated for the rights and interests of the non‑status, status off‑reserve, Métis and southern Inuit peoples. We have often been the only voice for the off‑reserve indigenous community, and we are the only group that can truly speak for that community.
Reconciliation has always been at the forefront of our work.
Today, more than 80% of aboriginal peoples live off‑reserve and in urban, rural and remote parts of Turtle Island. Their voices cannot be ignored.
For CAP's communities, this country has provided very little in terms of reconciliation. The fact that we are falling behind other aboriginal peoples is evidence of this. Lack of culturally appropriate programs and services have led to the further marginalization of our people who are the most vulnerable and who are already suffering historical traumas from residential school and colonial policies.
For years, the Canadian government has failed to recognize CAP's peoples and only after a 17‑year legal battle did this question get answered once and for all. Despite this victory, the government continues to divide and cherry‑pick those they want to work with. This leaves the majority of aboriginal people out and forgotten, and without access to necessary supports.
We commend the federal government for honouring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's calls to action to create a national council on reconciliation. We support this fully. However, reconciliation cannot be just for some; it must be for all.
Bill C‑29, if implemented today, would further exclude our people. The bill states that “reconciliation requires collective efforts from all [aboriginal] peoples and … multiple generations”. With no seat on the council, this legislation politically chooses those the government wants to work with and neglects the voice of the majority of aboriginal peoples. If we are to truly have reconciliation, these exclusions must stop.
I'll now speak on behalf of the Native Alliance of Quebec.
I'd like to acknowledge again that we are meeting today on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin peoples, of which I am proud because it is part of my aboriginal ancestry.
My name is Gérard Coulombe, and I am the president of the Native Alliance of Quebec and a board member of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples was never consulted or engaged in the development of this legislation. We have been left out of the bilateral conversations with the government on this issue, despite the Daniels decision and the signing of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples/Canada political agreement. Our exclusion from the council, as a national indigenous organization, is a political decision that is an affront to reconciliation. This bill discriminates against hundreds of thousands of indigenous peoples, represented by CAP. This does not honour the government's commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. True reconciliation can only happen when all indigenous peoples are involved in the decision‑making process.
In closing, I'd like to say that the Native Alliance of Quebec is one of 11 indigenous organizations in Canada. The affiliated members of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples cover 10 provinces and one territory, virtually all of Canada. So we can say that the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples represents off‑reserve status and non‑status indigenous people, Métis and Inuit, across the country.
Thank you.