Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to all the witnesses.
I will speak for myself. I have no difficulty at all making sure that first nations people, aboriginal people, have good economic opportunities. I recognize there are challenges in that regard.
Also, on consultation, if there was limited or no consultation by the RCMP for that report, I think that was wrong-footed. Moving forward, if there are opportunities to consult, I think that would be a good idea for the government. But I think one needs to start with some principles that one could agree to perhaps.
One of the things we heard from some of the previous witnesses was that contraband tobacco is destabilizing for the community. But I did not hear any of that today. I wonder if you could comment on that. Do you see it as a problem?
Second, I know you talked about drugs and people and guns and all that. Those are problems as well. No one would deny that. We've had evidence to suggest that there are about nine laws of this country of Canada that have been broken, such as various taxes and various markings that are supposed to be on various cigarettes. Are you saying you don't need to comply with those laws? If I were involved in a consultation, that's where I would like to start.
Third, even if one agreed, which I don't, that on these first nations properties you have the right to violate these laws of Canada by selling these cigarettes and tobacco products in these shacks to non-reserve people, people who are not first nations people, do you feel any sense of responsibility for trying to inhibit that?
Finally, on the smuggled products--I am calling them smuggled products, because I think that's what they are. You might debate it, but there are a lot of these contraband products coming from the United States. Do you feel no sense of responsibility to try to impede that, to stop it?
Maybe we'll start there. I don't know who wants to have a go at that. Do you, Mr. Delisle?