Madam Speaker, I appreciate the generosity in allowing my colleague to join me in co-sponsoring the bill. In the Order Paper there are a number of co-sponsors. I refer specifically to the member for the Battlefords-Meadow Lake, the member for Regina-Lumsden and the member for Burnaby-Kingsway. Others have also indicated to me they are in support of the bill.
This is the second time I have actually tabled the bill. The first time it received the support of every aboriginal organization in the country. It received support from countless bands across the country and also from many urban organizations of aboriginal people and all the significant leaders of aboriginal peoples. To my knowledge no one has yet indicated their opposition to it, either among the aboriginal or the non-aboriginal communities.
We only have one hour for debate. In the closing moments I would hope either the debate would collapse, which would then allow a voiced vote to send it off to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, or simply unanimous consent to send this off to the appropriate standing committee for continuation.
The bill is fairly straightforward. I do not suspect it would take an awful lot of study and examination. There may be the will of the House to provide unanimous consent to move through all stages before the hour is out, which we have done on previous occasions.