Thank you for that opportunity.
When I look at these types of issues, I have to go back to what the Supreme Court said in terms of “What is that community?” What I mean by this is, look at whether you're in an urban reserve or close to an urban setting, where your ability to have land—to put aside or return to reserve—is very limited. In a place like Vancouver or somewhere like that, just a small house lot is worth over $1 million.
It is very hard to look at the ability. What are the other benefits that could be used to mitigate such things as the lack of a land base? It could be economic development, shared resources, or looking at fisheries or other things that could be utilized. If you're further in the interior, for example.... You know, it could be an agricultural land base, fisheries or forestry, but it has to be specific and driven by the people who live on that land and by what they actually need.
In certain instances you look at, it may not be something you can solve with money, because we need our traditional foods. For the majority of us, it's protein diets. What do we have on the table? Carbohydrates.... What are the ramifications of that? Diabetes, heart disease and different types of cancer.... It's not just the ability to say, “Here, have some money.” Money is nice, but you can't eat it. That's what our old people used to say.
We need to look at solutions that are by the community. The community has to be a partner on the other side of that table with the federal and provincial governments, looking at how we can identify solutions. If it has to do with resources, what is the problem? If it's fisheries, provide the means to increase the volumes. If it happens to be access to resources, increase the share that goes there for first nations to build houses or what have you. When mining and everything comes in.... You have critical mineral mines being the primary focus, not only in Canada but also in the United States, especially. What are they going to do for the indigenous people who are living there? It has to be based upon sustainable communities and how we're going to develop them.
What I don't see is one size fitting all. I see a community-based solution by the people, for their people, and them developing it in partnership with governments that provide them with the technical and policy support to achieve that. If you look at residential schools and the sixties scoop.... You're asking people to become parents again. I always tell people that being a parent is not by instinct. It's a learned behaviour. What happens when you take that away?