Madam Speaker, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, that the Reform Party wants to liberate aboriginal people. I guess talk is pretty cheap.
That is what we just heard from the Reform Party, that it wants to liberate aboriginal people. Every single action I have seen in the House, every single example that is used by the Reform Party when it comes to aboriginal people, has been negative, has been allegations of what it perceives to be corruption, and has been divisive. If that is what the Reform Party calls liberation, I do not want any part of its liberation.
I do not know about the 1969 white paper. I was 16 years old at the time and I do not know what it said.
But I do know that the Nisga'a treaty was negotiated by the Nisga'a people. If we are talking about liberation, then we have to understand that the representatives of those people sat down at the table, negotiated in good faith and came up with an agreement, while not perfect, is one they could live with. They did that in good faith. To me that is part of a just and democratic process and it is a liberation in terms of assertion of their equality.
I might ask the Reform member why his party's position is so patronizing to the Nisga'a people to assume what they negotiated is somehow not right for them? They are the people who did the negotiating. The member was not at the table. I was not at the table. It was their representatives and they believe that they have treaty. To me that is something they are willing to live with. I think it should be ratified by the House.