Thank you, Madam Chair.
She:koh sewakwe:koh. I'm the elected chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River. I put a written submission in to the clerk back on April 25, so you have that in your package. In general, my remarks are going to be representing the Iroquois Caucus.
The Iroquois Caucus is an independent organization representing 70,000 Six Nations people in Canada. We have concerns that this legislation is an abuse of our people, and I might say a continued abuse of our people, because your Indian Act, back in 1867, took suffrage from our women. I think it's wrong that it be perpetuated today.
The Six Nations Council has enacted our own legislation, as I said, but on behalf of the caucus, we're concerned about the process. There is supposed to have been extensive consultation. We don't know who with, because as representatives of the communities of those 70,000 Six Nations people, we have never seen anyone consulting us.
I believe, as do my colleagues, that our relationship is embodied in the Guswenta, Tekeni Teiohate, or the Two Row Wampum Treaty. I'll reiterate what it says: We will not be like Father and Son, but like Brothers. [Our treaties] symbolize two paths or two vessels travelling down the same river together. One, a birch bark canoe, will be for the Indian People, their laws, their customs and their ways. The other, a ship, will be for the white people, their laws, their customs and their ways. We shall...travel the river together, side by side, but [each] in our [own] boat. Neither of us will make compulsory laws or interfere in the internal affairs of the other. Neither of us will try to steer the other's vessel.
What we have here, committee, in my estimation, is someone trying to steer our canoe.
As I said, the remarks I'm making are on behalf of the caucus. We're concerned, as I said, with the consultation process with the AFN and the Native Women's Association. They don't represent the people that this is going to affect: the people in the communities.
With that, I'll ask my colleagues to make their presentations, because they haven't done their presentations yet. I'll be open for questions later on.
Thank you very much.