Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the Assembly of First Nations begins meetings in Ottawa to discuss the first nations governance act. To date political Indian groups across Canada, including the AFN, the Chiefs of Ontario, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Interior Alliance, Federation of the Saskatchewan Indian Nations and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, have all stated their opposition to the minister's initiative.
However my consultations with grassroots aboriginal people have confirmed that both fiscal and democratic accountability are of huge concern to them at the band level. Would the minister confirm today that fiscal and governmental accountability will indeed be written into the bill?