Madam Chair, I'd like to speak.
My colleague Mr. Blaikie indicated that if NDP-1 does not move forward, he will not pursue amendments NDP-2 and NDP-3, so I would like to speak to all of them as a whole.
First, as I indicated to my colleague yesterday, the intent of this amendment is positive, and we on this side are very much in favour of the spirit and the intent of it. It is one of the reasons our main objective for the new NAFTA was to better reflect the interests of indigenous peoples. We indeed worked very closely with Perry Bellegarde and others to secure important clarity in the form of a general exception related to the rights of indigenous peoples as well as policy flexibility for indigenous peoples and indigenous-owned businesses in CUSMA.
That being said, this amendment is a departure from our other free trade agreements. It does cause some legal inconsistencies with other FTAs that Canada has signed. I would also note, as I'm sure everybody in this room knows, that Canada's obligations to indigenous peoples are enshrined in the Canadian Constitution, which supersedes all other legislation, including CUSMA, and renders these amendments redundant.
For that reason, Madam Chair, we will not be voting in favour of these amendments.
(Amendment negatived: nays 5; yeas 2 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
(Clause 2 agreed to)