Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her intervention and her ongoing intelligent and clear thinking on this matter and her study of the issue. She is representing an alternative view in British Columbia from the one that we have heard repeatedly from the Reform Party on this bill and a number of other bills relating to aboriginal and first nations people.
As a woman from British Columbia and a member of parliament, she is addressing issues generally from her constituents but more broadly for people from British Columbia as well. I say this to her because the Reform Party keeps alluding to the fact that it is concerned about women, that it speaks for women's issues and wants to protect women's rights. I would like to quote from some sections of the treaty with respect to women's rights and ask her if she agrees with the provisions of the charter and the treaty or the Reform Party.
The preamble of the bill states:
Whereas the Nisga'a Final Agreement states that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to Nisga'a Government in respect of all matters within its authority, bearing in mind the free and democratic nature of Nisga'a Government as set out in the Agreement;
Section 28 of the charter provides that notwithstanding anything in the charter, the rights and freedoms referred to are guaranteed equally to male and female persons. Likewise in section 35 of the constitution there is a provision on aboriginal treaty rights. Section 35(4) in contemplating concerns over the protection of aboriginal women's rights states:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the aboriginal and treaty rights referred to in subsection (1) are guaranteed equally to male and female persons.
Does the member believe these provisions to protect women, or does she believe the Reform Party which seems to be trying to scare aboriginal women and women in general in British Columbia?