Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear the parliamentary secretary talk about first nations governments and yet the Conservative government does not actually treat them as governments.
The member also mentioned that there is this accountability in the relationship with provinces and yet I know that the Conservative federal government does not require that the provinces, for example, report accurately on how much private health care dollars are funded through the public health care system.
The Canadian Bar Association wrote a letter to the minister saying that this legislation fails to recognize the unique constitutional arrangements between first nations and the federal government and does little to move away from the paternalism which has historically defined this relationship.
I wonder if the member could comment on the fact that there is no recognition of that nation-to-nation status in this legislation.