Yes, a long time ago in the 1990s there was something called the Manitoba justice inquiry. They talked about using indigenous laws for restorative justice.
For indigenous laws, I can only speak to the Great Law of Peace, wherein we sit in clans and we talk. We talk until we come to a consensus from all the clans about an issue that is before the people. The way the colonial laws are, you have a time frame and you have a time limit and you are not able to address these things afterwards. It's always based on the timeline of the federal government.
For indigenous peoples, we go by those 13 moons. What does each moon bring us? Today we see the flowers blooming in May.
We are supposed to be taking care of the land. We are stewards of the land. We are title holders to the land, yet how many women do we see sitting around the table when it comes to land negotiations? The lawyers outnumber the indigenous people in discussions. They don't know indigenous laws. We need those elders to be there with us because we are supposed to be looking at how we're living today and our actions today. How do they help the people today, but also how do they help the people in the future?
It's not just about human beings. It's about all our relations: the fish, the water, the four-legged, the birds. Those are indigenous laws, and this is what has been under attack by development, especially resource development and condo development.
I'm rushing because I know there are other questions, but thank you. Those are really important questions.