I want to start by thanking you all for your comments today. It's been amazing, and I'm glad to be here for this.
I've been listening to great leaders in the Métis for more than 20 years. One of my friends is Jean Teillet. I first heard her 19 years ago when I was a university student, and she was speaking about the Powley decision at a conference, and then after the Daniels decision she also was the keynote speaker at a conference in Ottawa. I've learned so much from Jean.
One of the things she's always said to me is that there's a common misconception in Canada that Métis is about mixed ancestry, about European and first nations ancestry. She said it's important to understand—I don't want to put words in her mouth, because I know she is going to be a witness at some point—that Métis are about a distinct community that came together.
Can you talk to me a little bit about the importance of that distinct community in your regions, and why that's an important thing to be clear on?
Margaret, do you want to start?