Mr. Michael Schintz (Federal Negotiations Manager, Negotiations - Central, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs) at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee

I agree wholeheartedly with everything Ms. Redmond has said. The department has increasingly taken the position that treaties are intended to have the space to evolve over time as relationships evolve, and so, while it's absolutely accurate to say that the self-government treaties that are contemplated to be implemented by this legislation, if it is given royal assent, are entirely limited to self-government, as we've testified before, they are also intended to create space for further conversations over time. With each subsequent set of conversations, there are consultation obligations. There's the obligation that any jurisdictional discussion that is had will not have adverse impacts on other indigenous groups and governments.

This provision—which, as Ms. Redmond said, is not seen in any other implementing legislation that I'm aware of—is limiting in a way that is new and, I would say, somewhat cuts against the department's position on these treaties needing space to evolve over time.