Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents in Prince George—Peace River I rise to make a short comment.
One thing I think all Canadians are concerned about with these agreements is not whether a person deems them overly generous, generous or not generous enough, although that is a concern and it is a matter of individual opinion.
When my constituents look at the negotiations that lead up to these agreements, one concern I hear from them consistently is that they are concerned about finality and certainty. They believe that it is in the best interests of not only the aboriginal people themselves but certainly Canadian taxpayers to know that whatever agreement is finally arrived at, hopefully it will be as fair as it can be to both sides. As in any negotiation that takes place, be it private or corporate, we want to see fairness.
Ultimately in the end, we have to have finality and certainty. That is one concern I have consistently raised with all of these agreements. There always seems to be some loophole clauses that something can come back later, or if some other agreement is reached that is perhaps a bit more generous or less restrictive, and the negotiations are reopened. My constituents often raise that concern with me.
Could the member talk about whether this agreement is final? Oftentimes they are called final agreements, but when we read through the clauses, we find that there is no finality.