Thank you. Good morning.
[Witness spoke in Kluane]
[English]
My name is Math'ieya Alatini. I am a citizen of Kluane First Nation and a former chief of Kluane First Nation. We are one of the self-governing nations in the Yukon. I am currently Grand Chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations.
I'm here to express my full support for Bill C-10, an act respecting the commissioner for modern treaty implementation. This bill, as we've just heard from the other panel, reflects decades of work by indigenous modern treaty partners to ensure that Canada consistently delivers on constitutionally protected treaties.
These are not abstract agreements. Modern treaties directly affect the day-to-day lives of all our communities, the opportunities that present to our communities and the well-being of the people within our communities. For too long, gaps and delays in treaty implementation have caused real and tangible harms to indigenous people in Yukon and other regions of Canada.
Bill C-10 addresses a clear and urgent need for sustained and independent oversight. It allows for consistency between elected governments. Treaty implementation is specialized and ongoing work. A dedicated commissioner would focus on this work in a way that a broad whole-of-government auditor cannot. Treaty commitments do not change with governments. Without this focus, agreements risk delays, misunderstandings and practical challenges that directly affect our communities.
This isn't about politics. It's about building a system that works for the people whose lives depend on these agreements. The Auditor General's role remains vital. This bill is designed to complement that work, not duplicate it.
As outlined in Bill C-10, the commissioner's office would be independent. It would assess, report and advise. Parliament would retain the authority to decide remedies and hold ministers accountable.
Transparency is the commissioner's most powerful tool. Parliament's ability to compel answers would ensure that challenges are addressed promptly. Transparent reporting would help problems get fixed before they escalate into disputes or litigation. Public reporting would also allow systemic barriers to be identified early, preventing harms to communities, creating opportunities for practical and timely solutions and hopefully avoiding litigation.
The commissioner would provide credible, expert, whole-of-government oversight, giving departments strong incentives to track, plan and coordinate effectively, because Parliament and indigenous partners would be able to see their progress. This accountability would ensure that implementation is not just tracked on paper; it's also followed through on in practice. Indigenous modern treaty partners would use the commissioner's findings as independent evidence to advance implementation.
Bill C-10 was carefully co-developed with indigenous partners. It would focus specifically on implementation without interfering in policy design or enforcement, which would remain ministerial responsibilities. In fact, it would strengthen ministerial accountability by providing Parliament with credible, treaty-specific information, helping to ensure that commitments to citizens would be upheld.
The bill is practical, achievable and long overdue. It would identify problems before they escalate, strengthening that relationship between Canada and indigenous governments and, in our case, the tripartite relationship with the territorial government as well. It would ensure that the rights of our citizens are upheld.
This bill is not about creating new obligations. It's about making sure that the federal system consistently delivers on what Canada has already agreed to in constitutionally protected treaties. It's about ensuring that promises made in treaties and future bills would be kept, and that federal systems would work in practice, not just in principle.
At its core, this work is about people. It's about giving Yukon first nations children and all our indigenous children a fair chance to reach their full potential and live their dreams. We encourage the committee to support the timely passage of this bill for the benefit of our communities and citizens and the integrity of our constitutionally protected treaties.
Gùnálchîsh. Shä̀w níthän.