Mr. Speaker, I think it will not come as a surprise that, of course, we will support the bill, as we did for Bill C-33 and Bill C-34.
In fact, I say that it would be illogical not to adopt the bill now before the House, Bill C-55, since it will give effect to bills C-33 and C-34. Knowing the Yukon's concerns and since, as the critic responsible for these matters, I kept up with them for the whole session, we will be totally logical with ourselves by supporting the bill.
The bill is giving effect to Bill C-33 and Bill C-34. Before making a short description of these bills, I want to remind members that I went to the Yukon, this year. For me, it is the best way to deal with the issues and to see the way native peoples live.
Most of the members who will speak on the bills now before the House will do so without having visited the communities concerned. For my part, if possible, I try to go to these places in order to better understand the feelings of the people there and also to become aware of their quality of life.
I met some really remarkable people in the Yukon, very tolerant people who have also been very persevering. It was said repeatedly that these negotiations required 21 years of efforts before they could be concluded. Yet, we have to realize that the injustices do not go back only 21 years, but much further. When you become aware of the native way of doing things, of the way they see the world, you realize that from the very beginning, from the day the first Europeans came to the Yukon, aboriginal people accepted willingly to share their territory with them, but without relinquishing in any way their native rights, their rights as first occupants.
When the economy developed and when aboriginal people realized that they were excluded from that development, they understood that it was necessary for them to have a say about economic development and resource management on their land.
This is where we are today, after years, decades of injustice and after 21 years of negotiations. Bill C-55 will put into effect Bill C-33, which dealt with self-government. With that bill, and in some areas of activity, we were saying to aboriginal people: "Here, now, instead of designing and managing programs from Ottawa, we are letting you decide in areas like education, health, etc." I think we really have here a way to solve the major problems we find on reserves.
It is an interesting solution, because for too long we have had a very paternalistic approach to their problems and we simply pushed them into a situation of extreme dependency. Often, there is no economic development because their land base is very limited, and the resources they have access to are also very limited. Therefore, they cannot flourish economically.
The Auditor General revealed this week that close to 40 per cent of the native population is heavily dependant on either welfare or unemployment insurance. I visited reserves where the unemployment rate was around 80 per cent. It is painfully obvious that the way we deal with the native situation is outdated and does not work. What we have here is an example of how to help native communities help themselves.
When they manage their own affairs, not only are they no longer dependent on the bureaucracy in Ottawa, but they are in tune with local concerns. You know that when it comes to education and health matters, the native way is often very different from ours. Their approach is much more holistic, more respectful of the environment they live in. I believe that it is important to ensure that powers which used to belong to Ottawa be transferred to native communities. Bill C-33, which was passed recently, gives native people authority over some specific activities. It is the way of the future.
I referred to Bill C-33, which deals with self-government. Even though it is a different matter, it has something to do with the fact that one must ensure that the land which is given back to native people will contain enough resources to allow them to opt out of the Indian Act. As I mentioned before, this act keeps them in a state of extreme dependence. The land base arrived at in the agreement with the Yukon and the main stakeholders who have signed so far, will ensure that they will be able to become economically independent.
We could point out the importance of the board. The board is very important for the very simple reason that it must settle disputes. In the Split Lake agreement, for example, the lack of a
board to settle disputes is rather obvious. What would happen without a board such as the one proposed in this bill? The courts would systematically be called upon to settle disputes.
We realize that there might be hundreds of disputes, that people are waiting for their cases to be resolved because we know how heavy the courts' backlog is. The board proposed today will clear some of the backlog by settling disputes concerning both rights and territories.
We also at one point toyed with the idea of proposing amendments. However, after consulting with Yukon first nations, we concluded that it might be better not to define the rights and interests because they said that the nations could probably agree among themselves on what these rights and interests are.
We also played with the notion of person because, as you know, the agreement before us covers four first nations out of 14, if I am not mistaken. Another 10 or so are negotiating or close to a settlement. We were concerned at one point that the notion of person would only apply to signatory nations. However, after discussion, we realized that the term "person" had a broader meaning. As a result, the board will be able to settle disputes not only among the first nations that have signed the agreement and are subject to the act but also with the first nations that have not signed it yet.
That is why today we will support the bill without amendments as such.
Why do we support the bill? I think I have just given a few of the reasons: the Natives' desire to manage their own affairs along with the Canadian government's intention to stop placing Indians under its guardianship. I think that this government has announced its intentions, including a pilot project in Manitoba among other things. Let us say, however, that after almost 100 years the government finally realized that the law was obsolete and did not achieve its objectives and that it was imperative to completely alter the way we deal with Natives.
The government is willing to make these changes. Of course, Bloc Quebecois members also realized very quickly that changes were needed. One only has to visit some reserves a number of times to see that the system does not work. Avenues of resolution lie before us and the Bloc Quebecois will certainly agree that a new approach must be taken involving self-government and land claims.
As for respect for aboriginal cultures, if there is an issue that is truly fascinating, this is it. There are 635 communities living on reserves in Canada. I am limiting my comments to aboriginal people living on reserves, because you notice that many no longer do and this is the kind of unique dynamic that they have to deal with. There is the whole issue of the Metis, and the Inuit as well, because they too are very preoccupied with not being drowned by such concerns, by aboriginal concerns. In fact, they say so, every chance they get.
Coming back to aboriginal communities, to the 635 of them. This is a really fascinating issue, because although they belong to first nations and often speak the same language-there are approximately 50 aboriginal languages you know-we notice that from one of these 635 communities to the other, these aboriginal people all have their own way of looking at things. And that is what makes aboriginal affairs such a great challenge. It is a fascinating issue.
So, the agreement before us concerns aboriginal nations of the Yukon. Yukon has a rather unique history and the aboriginal people are proud of having shared in writing it with the Europeans. I can say, having travelled myself to that part of the country, that these people took me to see magnificent sites, including the Yukon River. It was beautiful at the time of year when I visited. Because of the glaciers, the river was completely transformed, taking shades of blue like I had never seen, except perhaps at sea or from a beach, watching colours change as the horizon becomes indistinct. But in the Yukon, the depth and colour of the river were really amazing. They are proud to say that they have shared this territory with others.
I was taken to a mountain where the first Europeans supposedly went to see the midnight sun. I had never seen the midnight sun. I found it thrilling. I was taken to the Klondike, now Dawson City, and we are proud to see that there was a happy coexistence between Europeans-I was even given the opportunity to try to find gold. I was assured that I could find gold, but unfortunately I could not take the time to do it. I spent more time trying to fish on the river and perhaps I did not catch any fish, but I did not get any gold either. I met some wonderful people there and I tell you that the trip was quite what I expected, a realization that those people are extraordinary and live in a wonderful place.
As I said at some length before, the inhabitants will have the resources needed for economic development. I think that with the areas granted and the degree of responsibility that these people will have-and they have been waiting to take control of their lives for a long time-I think that their future is now assured. They will have both the land base and sufficient economic resources to break from the tutelage of the Indian Act.
They will also be able to ensure their identity as native people. Several examples to illustrate this point could be mentioned. Let us take a very specific one, housing. One need only go to the reserves to see how all the houses are alike. It is so because the houses and the housing development plans were designed in Ottawa, and also because the budgets were usually rather limited. So, the question was: How are we going to build adequate houses, but without any frills? The result was that
these houses were often all identical and that the aboriginal culture was not taken into consideration.
It is important to them to ensure their development while also affirming their cultural identity. I think you will see a major change in the way native people will do things in the Yukon. I believe they will give us quite a demonstration. I am anxious to go back there and see how things will have changed in a few years. I hope that by then Quebec will be an independent country. However, it will still be possible to go to the Yukon because we have no intention of building a Berlin wall between Quebec and the rest of Canada. I will always be happy to visit the Yukon, look at the new way of doing things and see how these people will have taken control of their destiny and ensured that their culture is reflected in the decisions they will make.
This legislation puts an end to the uncertainty regarding territorial rights, land titles, cutting rights as well as mining rights.
Indeed, there was a great deal of uncertainty before, but things will finally be settled.
Negotiations lasted 21 years and surface rights had to be established to confirm ownership and rights over usable land. I briefly alluded to this earlier and I do not think it is necessary to go over that again.
Bill C-55 proposes the establishment of a board having jurisdiction to settle disputes. I also mentioned that point earlier and I made a comparison with Split Lake, where no such board exists and where arbitration problems are mounting. If such a board was established there, a large number of disputes would be settled without having to go before the courts. This is an original idea that will also save a lot of money to a lot of people.
Given the current state of public finances, it is very important to make good use of our money. I believe that this board will result in savings, considering the legal costs generated by all those endless disputes which would often end up in the Supreme Court. These people would rather settle things differently, more or less by consensus, which is the way democracy works. The board, through its membership, and I will come back to this later on, will solve these disputes.
It will be a last resort and it will represent a true transfer of jurisdiction to the first nations.
I want to say a little more on the housing and health issues, and also discuss infrastructures. We know that the government has spent a lot of money on infrastructure. I have personally visited several reserves and, as I mentioned yesterday in this House, I was stunned to see how dilapidated housing on the reserve is, but also that a large number of houses have no water system, no sewer and no running water. In Canada, we boast about our remarkable quality of life. But we tolerate these things, which only go to show that the Indian Act provides no solution at all. We boast about the remarkable quality of life in Canada, but the native people are living in what I consider Third World conditions.
With this kind of bill, and bills like C-33, C-34 and C-55, people will be able to invest their own resources in whatever basic infrastructure projects that might meet their own needs. This is not only a step in the right direction, but also the way to nip the problem in the bud.
I will now turn to the membership of the board, because I see that the private members' hour is coming up soon. The board will be made up of 3 to 11 members. What is original here is that the native people will have their say in the appointment of these board members. Since we are giving natives a land base and granting them self-government, it would be a bit silly to seize the very first opportunity we have to set up a board and appoint only white people. Of course, in Yukon, the majority of the board members will be natives. I think this is an adequate compromise. Half of the board members will be natives appointed by natives.
It is equally important that the people making up the other part of the committee also come from the Yukon. Personally, I have a good knowledge of native affairs, but I would feel very uneasy if the minister or the government chose me to sit on the Yukon committee. It would be ill advised on my part to say that I know that community and that I want them to benefit from my great wisdom. I think that the days when Ottawa could impose its wisdom on the regions and on the native communities are over and I think that the bill before us reflects a desire to help the First Nations take their own destiny in hand. Therefore, there must be a native component in all of the various committees so that the policies and the plans of the First Nations are reflected in reality and that the natives are free to take the directions they want.
I would be remiss if, before concluding briefly, I did not also mention Quebec's experience. I believe that Quebec's experience, notably the James Bay Convention, somehow sets a standard. I say this every time the issue of self-government comes up, and I say it again: I believe that the James Bay Convention set a standard which truly serves as a model elsewhere in Canada.
So I think it was very interesting in this regard. I would be remiss if, every time we have an opportunity to talk about self-government, I did not mention it, because that convention
was signed in 1975. I am not saying the agreement is perfect since there are no perfect agreements. They often are the result of a fine compromise. But even if it is now being attacked by the Cree nations, as some colleagues of mine said this week, we must consider that in those days, at the time of the signature, people were very happy with that document. Today, many provisions of the James Bay Agreement apply even in Yukon and I think many parts of the James Bay Agreement served as a model for the regulations on self-government that were adopted here, after that legislation.
There is wide consensus also in Yukon. Of course there are a great number of natives in Yukon, but there are also a great number of people of other nations who shared the territory with the native people. I say share, but I am being generous in saying that because, down deep, there was no sharing. It is more like the natives had to share part of their territory because the mining companies established themselves there. Perhaps these companies gave work to a few natives in the region, but we must admit the resources extracted from the Yukon territory did not really help finance the solution of the native issues in Yukon.
Therefore we will remedy the inequities with a proper compromise. The consensus is wide enough, even in the Yukon. The Yukon government agrees on that, the Mining Association agrees on the proposals that are before us. People realize that there have been inequities for too long and that negotiations have taken place for 21 years. Finally, I want to say that the last page of paternalism in Yukon has been turned today, that we are putting an end today to an era that may have been useful at the time for some people, but surely not for the native people, and that a new era in which native people will take control of their destiny, in which there will be no dependence towards the federal government, is beginning.
These people will now be able to tell their children and grandchildren:"That happened in 1994". And if we consider their attitude during the negotiations, and their perseverance, for decades, from generation to generation, these people have been saying: this must be changed, and they persevered, so that today, we are turning over a new leaf, and as a result, aboriginal people, I am positive, will be much better off, as far as their culture, natural resources, territory and their relationship with non-aboriginal people in the Yukon are concerned. From this day onward, there will be no more dependency. They have started something new, and I am looking forward to seeing how things will evolve, and from now on we will see that we made the right decision in 1994.
I want to congratulate all first nations who, I know, are listening to us today. Today is the culmination of all these negotiations, and of course the Bloc is delighted to have been a part of these discussions, and in concluding, I want to thank them for their cordial welcome, and I am so happy that we were with them throughout this process, and the Bloc Quebecois is pleased to say that they will support this bill.
