Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate all of the feedback we are getting on this side of the House with respect to this particular bill.
In particular I would like to touch on part 7, which talks about the first nations goods and services tax between the federal government and aboriginal governments to be administered through a provincial administration system if the province also administers the federal GST. If we think back to how that issue was bungled when the HST was rolled out in Ontario, it will help us avoid a similar scenario in the future.
On that note, I have been speaking with some first nations youth from Whitefish River First Nation this weekend, and they still wonder why the government does not meaningfully consult with and accommodate first nations when it comes to legislation, such as this one as well. As members know, it was a big issue with respect to the GST and the HST discussions and even of the bill itself, and we would not have seen ourselves in that situation.
Can my colleague comment on the importance of having the government meaningfully consult, accommodate and get free and prior informed consent before tabling legislation that affects first nations?