Mr. Speaker, I certainly cannot speak for each and every one of the groups that does not want the bill. I certainly am not able to delineate every single one of their objections or why I would think that there are others who could disagree. I think the most important thing is that no group is going to be forced to do anything as a result of this bill. I appreciate the risk that some perhaps feel. That happens whenever we pass a bill in the House. Some groups disagree. That is the nature of a democracy. I think it is reflective of the differing positions that many of the first nations communities find themselves in. There are some who are doing quite well economically and there are others, frankly, who are living in shocking conditions, which I know the member opposite has identified. I have been there and I know as well.
We have to be able to provide tools. We have to be able to provide the flexibility to enable people who want to negotiate, who want to be able to do the things they want to do, without obligation on the others who do not want to participate or who do not want to get there.
Surely in this day and age when we have complicated problems, if we do not have simple solutions, if we cannot wave a magic wand and solve everything for everybody, we had better be offering people flexibility. We cannot even provide a magic wand that will help some people fix their own situation, because that is important. We had better be offering people flexibility and we had better be offering innovative solutions to individuals and working together on innovation. Otherwise we are doomed to just continue on as in the past. That is not good enough. We have an obligation to right the wrongs, to allow people to solve their own future, and to create the real economic prosperity that first nations, Inuit and Métis people deserve.
We can disagree about whether this bill will allow people to do that. Ultimately it comes to a vote and we have to make decisions. We can revisit them later if they are seen to be not working as effectively as we wanted. We can amend bills. But to not to pass this is a tragedy when there are many first nations people who do want this bill.