Thank you, Mr. Chair.
These issues of implementation are so fundamental to the people of the north, to the different agreements that have been struck, I'm kind of amazed at how we can have reports like this without this being almost a crisis for the department. But it isn't, obviously. INAC is following its usual line of non-effort in moving forward with these obligations. It's hurting the people I represent here in Parliament, and certainly the frustration is there throughout the north. The kinds of agreements that were made between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Inuvialuit are a direct result of the failure of INAC to live up to its responsibilities. That's why those were bilateral sidebar agreements.
In this audit, INAC officials describe the principles of the IFA as being Inuvialuit principles, not the principles to which Canada adheres. This is a statement I have difficulty with, of course, because to have an agreement work out and then to have the statement that the fundamental principles are not shared seems to be a bit ludicrous and it seems to be the basis by which everything else falls out afterwards. If you're not willing to accept what was negotiated in the land claim, signed on to and agreed to as a department, if you're not willing to accept what the Government of Canada has done, then you're not fulfilling your responsibility.
So how do you characterize your position as outlined here?