Good morning.
My name is Chief Barb Joe of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. My first nation is located in the southwest corner of the Yukon Territory. Our final and self-government land claim agreements have been effective since 1995.
We haven't been able to fully implement our land claims agreement. The spirit and intent of the agreements haven't been met. There are many treaty commitments that have yet to be realized. Focus needs to be put on the achievement of the treaty objectives, not just the obligations. We want to see a whole-of-government approach. Treaty commitments need to be fulfilled with proper resourcing.
Our staff focus on the work of my first nation government, particularly working with our citizens, not spending time and resources struggling with treaty implementation issues.
We are a modern treaty holder and a member of the Land Claims Agreements Coalition. We fully support the passage of Bill C-10 on the commissioner for modern treaty implementation. Members of the Land Claims Agreement Coalition co-drafted the bill with the federal government. We are happy with the bill, and it needs to be passed without amendments as quickly as possible.
It has taken us over 23 years to get here. At this moment, the fate of Bill C-10 hangs in the balance. We need you to listen to us and respect our words. We are so close to achieving one of our most important priorities.
We require a commissioner of modern treaty implementation who will independently assess whether Canada is meeting the obligations contained in our land claims agreements and report any findings directly to Parliament. The commissioner will be an important oversight mechanism to help us implement our modern treaties. The commissioner will be able to give their undivided attention to Canada's implementation of our treaties.
We do not believe this critical oversight can be carried out effectively from within the federal government itself.
The implementation of our modern treaties will benefit not just my first nation but all of Canada. We see this as a shared goal for all of us. By working together to create the commissioner for modern treaty implementation, we will improve treaty implementation in the coming years and decades for the benefit of future generations. We will move toward a better, stronger and wealthier Canada. I'm sure that is something we can all support.
Gunalichish. Shäw níthän. Mahsi cho. Thank you.