Qujannamiik, Iksivautaq.
When we first received this bill, I think I was like lots of other Canadians. I didn't know that there were so many different Métis collectives in all of Canada, never mind that there was more than one in Alberta. I learned of the existence of the Metis Settlements General Council and how they were not consulted or included. When I thought there would only be one Métis nation within Alberta, I saw nothing wrong with this bill.
I was probably as eager as Jaime has been to just push this forward, but because of the testimony we've been hearing from first nations and other Métis.... I also need to make it abundantly clear that I've not been filibustering just to delay this process. I've been asking questions, because it's been demanded of me. I think I've made it very clear that I absolutely agree that Métis have a right to self-government.
In this context of column 2, I am trying to maybe help get other Canadians to realize that there's not only one Métis collective within Alberta. By proposing my amendment to say that there are other collectives in Alberta, nothing is being diminished. The MNA's goal for self-government is not being diminished. If the Metis Settlements General Council wants to seek a similar recognition with a bill like this, it will even help them.
When I hear the value of keeping things consistent between two documents pedagogically, because of what I've learned in law school, I know how important that is. When it comes to ensuring that as parliamentarians we're recognizing that there's more than one Métis collective in Alberta, we'll have to make sure there's that acknowledgement in column 2.
I'm not trying to just make simple amendments. This is something that helps acknowledge.... Out of my own ignorance, I didn't know that there was more than one Métis nation in Alberta. I think including that text in column 2 will actually help get more Canadians to realize that there may be the Métis.... Maybe you already had them, I don't know, but that's not the point. I just wanted to clarify that a bit more.