Mr. Speaker, I am not exactly sure where I was in my speech when the interruption took place. I will begin by saying that with regard to this bill on education, the Reform Party supports national standards for education and apprenticeship across the country.
In a broader way, the Reform Party's ultimate goal on aboriginal matters is that all aboriginal people be full and equal participants in the Canadian citizenship, indistinguishable in law and treatment from other Canadians. I want to clarify that just so there is no doubt about what we are saying.
By saying that the aboriginal people should be full and equal participants and indistinguishable in law and treatment, we are not saying that it means they should be indistinguishable in cultural, language, dress or character. That is not what we are saying at all. I am clarifying this because I have had people interpret it that way to me.
I personally very much enjoy the culture of aboriginal people. Over the last few months I have had ample opportunity to enjoy that culture, the character and the formal ceremonial dress of the aboriginal peoples.
I want to end my presentation by asking the government four questions in response to the bill. I will also make some comments on the questions.
First, do the grassroots aboriginals on the reserves that are being covered under this legislation support the change that this legislation would make?
We already know that only nine of the thirteen reserves that are covered support the legislation. We have no idea whether the grassroots people themselves on the nine that have supported it support this legislation in any way. It is crucial that this be determined before the bill continues. We know Phil Fontaine supports the bill. We know that the chiefs and councils from the nine reserves support the bill, but do the grassroots aboriginals? I would like an answer to that question.
Second, $24 million will go into this fund to be managed by the chiefs and councils. It has been said that there will be a requirement for an independent auditor and some accounting for that spending.
Specifically my question is what level of accounting will be required? In what detail? How will the auditor be chosen? Will the Auditor General of Canada who after all is the final auditor on federal spending have the final responsibility to check into the spending of this money? This is critical.
In the aboriginal task force I set up, in the private presentations and at the public meetings, and in the presentations made to the questionnaire, the issue which came up more than any other issue was that of accountability on the part of chiefs and councils to the grassroots aboriginals. That question must be answered.
Third, if this deal is being made to help status Indians move toward self-government, has this government determined in fact that is what they want? It is an important question.
At the largest of the public meetings I had on this issue, there were about 75 people. About 70 people were aboriginal and I would think 40 of them were status Indians. Television cameras were there. I asked how many would support self-government. Not one hand went up. One woman stood up and said “What do you mean by self-government?” I said that that was a very good question. That question remains unanswered.
What exactly is self-government? Do grassroots aboriginals support it? Certainly the people we have heard from do not. They support no new level of control on the part of their governing bodies until the time that they are assured that there will be real accountability.
This fourth point is a comment. With regard to the quality of education, the task force found, and it was expressed very clearly and strongly, that better education is required. Better education is the key to two things. It is the key to things becoming better on the reserves. It is also the key to giving those people who choose to leave the reserves a fighting chance when they go. This was expressed very clearly. That is why I need some assurance that this change will provide a better quality of education. I really do not feel that I have that assurance right now.
As we go through the rest of the process, through the amendments to the bill at committee, at report stage and at third reading, I ask the government to provide that assurance in a way that really means something. I also ask that the government answer my questions.
In closing, there are too many unanswered questions. I certainly cannot support the bill as it is now, but I will look at what happens over the rest of the process.