Mr. Speaker, this is a complex question and therefore not an easy one to answer. I would like to congratulate my hon. colleague from St. Paul's, who is doing a great job for first nations people in her role as aboriginal affairs critic.
If the Kelowna accord, which was reached six years ago, were in effect today, first nations people would be living in a completely different world. Our prime minister at the time consulted all first nations, which is why it was called an accord. It had a budget attached to it.
The accord included five criteria, among them transparency and accountability. It even proposed appointing an independent auditor responsible solely for the first nations file. Thus, a solution could have easily been found and we would not be dealing with the issue here today. Everyone would have had the opportunity to live together in harmony.