Thank you to our witnesses for coming.
I know it takes a lot of work to get yourselves up and ready for these, so I really appreciate the fact that you're here to talk about this issue, which I think we all agree is an important issue, even though we may come at it from different positions.
Ms. Gabriel, I want to follow up on some of the things that you were alluding to. One is the matter of respecting the inherent treaty rights. I wonder what you think about the provision in this bill that actually allows for the federal government to move into this area, but it also very much allows for band councils to come up with their own laws, which many have. I'm wondering what you think about that provision.
We see that as an opportunity to address a matter of urgency. We've been told that this is urgent, that there are women who are dying. We've heard stories from people who say, "If there had been something like this bill in place, this woman would not have died".
I wonder how you feel about that provision, which we hoped would certainly address the need. Some bands are in a very good position, and some in fact have already addressed that issue of matrimonial property rights. This is an interim step.