Madam Chair, I'd like to move that amendment for clause 6.1, which I believe all the committee members have a copy of. The amendment is to add, after line 20 on page two, the following new clause 6.1:
This Act is to be construed as upholding the rights of Indigenous peoples recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and not as abrogating or derogating from them.
The reason I would like to propose this amendment is that I think it is important for Canada's trading partners to know and understand the inherent treaty rights of Canada's indigenous peoples. I believe we have a moral and legal obligation to respect those rights. The AFN has asked for clauses like this to be included in trade deals, and this is part of what reconciliation means.
The NDP, of course, are disappointed to see that the Liberals voted down a similar amendment for the CUSMA trade deal, but with that being said, I hope we can learn from that situation and move forward. I hope that committee members will support this amendment.