Maybe you want to hold nice consultations in the communities, but I know that you are going to pass Bill S-2 anyway, however much we tell you we are opposed to it. Your minds are already made up.
If you really want to consult, you have to do it in our language. That is very important. You also have to think in the long term, not in the short term. You cannot move quickly, but it happens each time. It is important to get first nations involved because the contact is easier then. People express themselves better in their own language. It is a big challenge for Quebec Native Women, which is trying to make women’s rights better known in the communities. Not all women know their rights, in fact.
A lot of education remains to be done in that regard. And Bill S-2 comes up once more. I feel sorry for our chiefs, but they are not always up to date. We are suddenly presented with a bill and we have to become informed quickly. We have to work together and to react. What are the positions of all our nations? That is a lot of work and it has to be done quite quickly.
This also has to be looked at in the long term. Some things do not work. Your laws do not work for us because we are different. We have a way of thinking that has existed for a long time. It is innate. It is not written down on paper, but it applies nonetheless. We have always had equal relationships. Failing to take that into consideration can also lead to shortcomings.