My question is for Grand Chief Mercredi. Thank you for being with us today, sir.
Before this group of witnesses, the committee heard from several of the cabinet ministers responsible for the implementation of this bill, including the Minister of Indigenous Services. The questions around consultation with first nations and other indigenous communities, around free, prior and informed consent, UNDRIP and section 35 were all raised and posed to the minister. She reassured the committee that those considerations remain fundamental to the government's approach to this legislation but also more broadly to the projects that would subsequently be introduced under this legislation.
I'm wondering if you could respond, sir, to the suggestion that because this bill doesn't actually authorize any projects, it creates a framework by which projects would be assessed, that the consultation that is required of the federal government under its treaty obligations, under its constitutional obligations to first nations and other indigenous peoples, would be met at the next stage once specific projects were put forward. Then the appropriate rights holders, the affected nations and communities would be identified, obviously, based on that project. It's at that stage that consultation and consent would be achieved with those nations. Perhaps you could respond to that, please.