Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indian Affairs. In his memo, Indian Affairs assistant deputy minister Jack Stagg suggested that federal subsidies be granted to aboriginal people, first, as compensation for supporting the no side in the referendum and, second, as a way to silence native constitutional demands while the federal government is making pseudo-offers to Quebec.
In light of his ADM's memo, will the minister confirm that he did not commit and does not intend to commit any federal funds to cover the costs incurred by the Crees and the Inuit to hold their own referenda in October?