Yes, and that's an important point you raise, because indeed the bill has been improved as a result of these consultations.
For example, some of you may remember the verification process that was contained in the original bill. This has been removed. The first nation council is now responsible for reporting the community approval outcome in writing to the minister if a first nation law is approved. Its removal eliminates confusion and misunderstanding about the role of the verification officer and addresses the concerns expressed by first nations and aboriginal groups that this process was paternalistic.
The other change is the ratification threshold, which has been lowered. There was a double majority required for the adoption of first nation laws, which meant that the majority of the eligible voters had to participate in the vote—50% plus one—and of those, a majority had to vote in favour. This has been lowered. The ratification threshold now requires a single majority vote with participation in the vote of at least 25% of the eligible voters.
The third change is a transition period that has been added. Before this change, upon royal assent this became law. A 12-month transition period was added before the federal provisional rules come into force. The government recognized that some first nations are well advanced in developing their own laws, and the transition period provides time to enact their laws under this legislation before the provisional federal rules take effect. First nations, as I said earlier, are not limited to the 12-month transition period to enact their community-specific laws, but they will start applying on the day that the federal rules will apply.