At the conclusion of my introductory remarks, I said that Parliament's passing Bill S-2 will not preclude consultation. Consultation is very important, but my view is that it should be consultation about how to move on from here, rather than looking at what we can possibly do about past discrimination.
Moving on from here involves questions like these: Do first nations have enough resources? What are we going to do about the damage that has already been done? Do we need legislation to repair the situation of families, for example, in which the children are all in different situations and some may not have status?
Consultation is extremely important. This is acknowledged in UNDRIP, but so are the abolition of assimilation and the repairs for assimilation. The consultation can very nicely be about the repairs for the past assimilation and measures that were included in section 6 in 1985.
I'm not saying no to consultation. I am saying that we can pass the act first and then consult on how best to create a better world for those who have been harmed by what Justice McIntyre called the “evil” of discrimination.