Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in this House today to speak to Bill C-222, introduced by the hon. member for Wild Rose. This bill seeks to establish the office of first nations ombudsman to investigate complaints relating to administrative, financial and electoral irregularities by members of first nations communities in Canada.
We all read and heard about the issue of interfering in first nations' affairs in Canada, and about how first nation members never got the $4 billion that was supposed to be transferred to them for their well-being.
The problem is that some people think there is interference in the affairs of all first nations. This is not true. In my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche, the Hill River First Nation is very dynamic and productive, and its economic growth is absolutely unbelievable.
This does not mean that the idea of an ombudsman is not a good one, on the contrary. This suggestion has a lot of merit. A number of institutions often rely on this kind of service to file complaints.
As members of parliament, I know all of us have had occasions where we have either advised constituents of the presence of an ombudsman office or been a last resort when a constituent feels that an ombudsman has still not responded satisfactorily to the problem.
There are ombudsman offices in government and business with many, if not all, provincial governments providing the service to consumers. Other institutions, such as Canada Post Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and a number of financial institutions like the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, offer this service.
I feel the establishment of a similar office for first nations would be an effective and useful means of addressing concerns of aboriginal people, whether it be matters resulting from alleged unfair election practices or financial or administrative problems.
Aboriginal people have expressed their frustration with the lack of options available to them when they question the procedures or process of the band chief and council. An independent ombudsman office would provide a possible solution and be in a position to access information that could respond to the complaints. Furthermore, it would allow aboriginal people to air their grievances when they feel they have been ignored by the chief and council and are unwilling to discuss it in a more public format. Under this bill, any member of a first nation community could use the service.
The ombudsman would be appointed for a term of five years under the provisions of the bill, with the governor in council making the appointment on the recommendation of the minister. First nations would be involved in the process by making representations to the committee that would then report to the minister. It is important to ensure the impartiality of the ombudsman and this process would distance the first nations from the appointment of the ombudsman. Otherwise, the effectiveness and objectiveness of the office could be jeopardized.
On first nations where there have been questions about legality of election processes or suspicions of inappropriate use of band funds, there is currently little opportunity for aboriginal people to lodge a complaint except with the chief and council who are often implicated in the allegation. Obviously this is not an ideal situation and does little to alleviate the problem.
The only other course of action available is to complain to the minister or to members of parliament, particularly those in this critic area or in whose constituency the aboriginal people reside.
The federal government has a fiduciary responsibility to aboriginal people and is obligated to work on behalf of aboriginal people to protect their rights. This is a responsibility that is sometimes misunderstood and occasionally abused.
The bill would acknowledge that first nations people also have to rely on themselves, their organizations and elected bodies to protect their rights and access to services. Instead of having to outline their complaint to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, they would have an independent ombudsman office that would address their concerns.
With the input of first nations, this process has the potential to help first nations people assume greater responsibility and accountability for their actions. In some cases, band members are not able to access information that would prove their allegations, something the bill would address. Under the proposed bill, an ombudsman would have the power and authority to access such records. At the same time, it would be at the discretion of the ombudsman as to what constitutes reasonable grounds for an investigation and whether accessing such records would be justified.
As I said earlier, I feel the bill has a lot of merit. Misunderstanding and discord can often be resolved if a process is in place to address these concerns. I feel the establishment of an ombudsman office is one solution that could help first nations better serve their communities and in the long term provide better service and more transparency and accountability. These are objectives that all governments and institutions strive to achieve and with varying degrees of success. It is always a good idea to explore new options and possibilities for improvement. I think the bill has made a worthy proposal.