Evidence of meeting #38 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was food.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Terry Sheehan
This brings us to the conclusion of the first round.
I will suspend for a little bit so that we can go to clause-by-clause.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Terry Sheehan
I'm going to resume.
If it's the will of the committee, we will now proceed to clause-by-clause analysis of this bill.
This is a reminder that if you need interpretation, please leave your earpiece in your ear because the questions will be in French and English. It's just easier and smoother if you have the piece in your ear if you're asking or answering questions.
I would like to provide members of the committee with a few comments on how committees proceed with the clause-by-clause consideration of a bill. This is an examination of all the clauses in the order in which they appear in the bill. I will call each clause successively and each clause is subject to debate and a vote.
If there are amendments to the clause in question, I will recognize the member proposing it, who may explain it. The amendments will then be open for debate. When no further members wish to intervene, the amendments will be voted on. Amendments will be considered in the order in which they appear in the package each member received from the clerk. Amendments have been given a number in the top right corner.
What we can do as well, instead of going through all of them individually.... Basically the clauses are clause 2 to clause 44. Do we have unanimous consent to group them? We can speak to them, but if we group them together, people could raise their hands and then say, “I want to speak to this.”
Do we have unanimous consent to put them all together?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Terry Sheehan
I'm grouping them all, to vote on all of them, but if people want to speak to any particular number, they can. Is that clear?
(On clauses 2 to 44)
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Terry Sheehan
Does anyone want to speak to anything?
We have all these great folks here if anybody has a question, but I'm not seeing any questions.
Conservative
Liberal
Taylor Chamberlain Negotiator, Northwest Territories Negotiations Directorate, Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
Hi, I'm Taylor Chamberlain. I'm the lead negotiator for the final self-government agreement for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got’įnę.
If I can add anything, I just want to acknowledge Shannon Shannon, who was the federal negotiator on this agreement for about a decade. She put a lot of love and effort into this agreement. We learned on May 8 that she had passed.
We hope to bring this agreement to fruition through this session, but I do want to acknowledge the amount of hard work that went into it and the people who may not be able to see us get to this next step. Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Terry Sheehan
Thank you ever so much for that intervention.
On behalf of the committee, thank you to Ms. Shannon, for what she did over the last decade.
Thank you. Chi-meegwetch.
Does anybody have any...?
Go ahead, MP Schmale.
Conservative
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON
Thank you for bringing that to our attention, and I'm sorry for the loss of that individual.
It was brought up a few times in the previous witness panel that it was building on the land claim settled in 1993. Then, of course, you had the 2015 Déline agreement, which was implemented in 2016.
Compared to Déline, what differences does this agreement have?
Negotiator, Northwest Territories Negotiations Directorate, Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
You may see quite a few similarities between the agreements.
For Déline, though, that agreement was an indigenous public agreement upon effective date. For this agreement specifically, it is an exclusive indigenous government agreement, which means that Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got’įnę Government will exercise jurisdiction and authority over its citizens as of the effective date.
However, it does have a transition incorporated into the agreement that will allow for Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got’įnę Government to become a public government, should their population reach 70% or higher in the town of Norman Wells.
Liberal
Brendan Hanley Liberal Yukon, YT
Thank you for your intervention.
I want to add my condolences. To be able to honour Shannon with this would certainly be an added feature.
To follow that line of questioning, are the aspects you referred to that distinguish this modern treaty unique if we compare it with any other modern treaty, especially a recent one?
Negotiator, Northwest Territories Negotiations Directorate, Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
Other public indigenous governments already exist, but the transition from an exclusive indigenous government to a public government is unique given the town of Norman Wells and the population demographic that exists there right now.
It made sense, as part of the negotiations, to incorporate a transition. When Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got’įnę citizens represent a majority in the town, the government will have authority over all residents in the town.
Liberal
Brendan Hanley Liberal Yukon, YT
Can I ask one segue to that, Mr. Chair?
What's the importance of that as a precedent for other modern treaties that might be in evolution or negotiation at the moment, or that are anticipated?
Negotiator, Northwest Territories Negotiations Directorate, Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
In terms of precedent setting, it would depend on the individual circumstances of each agreement being negotiated, and the location where it is being negotiated. I wouldn't be able to speak to what that could look like outside of the town of Norman Wells.
I will say that public indigenous governments already exist, and so do exclusive indigenous governments. It would really depend on the negotiations with individual communities.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
No, they answered my question.
