One of the things we should recognize is that the Mi'kmaq, as you mentioned, choose the reality of who we are, but government relations with us define who has status. This is the only way to ensure that our kids get the access they deserve. That's what we have right now.
Government policies are the reason our kids don't have the connections we need to bring them home. I understand that when the Senate went to a vote, 533 first nations out of 634 supported the Senate. That's a pretty substantial number. Only a few of us get to present. I think the federal government needs to take that number into consideration when it's voting on this.
The other thing I want to talk a bit about is.... I'm not 100% sure what the numbers are for immigration into our communities. In one sense, we're getting rid of a nation, but we're bringing in other nations within Canada. If we do such a comparison on those numbers, because I know there was always an issue about dollars and cents..... As I mentioned, we're concerned about the dollars and cents as well. That's a big issue. A much bigger issue within some of the communities is how we're going to support everybody. Like Jaime said, it's not just about support and whatever, but about a nation and identifying who you truly are. Having another nation determine who you are...that's the difficulty.
I think there needs to be more consultation prior to making these decisions. Having said that—