Mr. Speaker, the hon. member talked about a lot of programs that have come through Health Canada and various other government departments that work. No one in the House is denying there are many supportive programs in various departments that actually do work. The point is that those programs were there at the same time as the Aboriginal Healing Foundation was there. They were there as INAC said specifically in its evaluation to complement and to support some of the healing process, but that none of those programs could replace the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. This is what the department's own evaluation said.
Basically what I would like the hon. member to answer is, why is it that governments in the past that harmed aboriginal people irreparably because of their decisions or that they knew what was best for them, continue to believe that the only effective programs that can be delivered for aboriginal people must come out of government departments? Does the government not believe that aboriginal people have the ability, as they have shown themselves to have, to take their own fund, use it appropriately in places where they can do it? Does the government not trust that aboriginal people can do this? Is this what the government is saying?