Mr. Speaker, both today and yesterday we have heard a lot about Bill S-2, dealing with the issue of marriage breakdown and the rights of both partners. It is important to recognize that a big part of that has been the requirement of the government to work with first nations and leaders in terms of developing legislation. As opposed to doing that, it has taken a piece of legislation from a specific area and brought it into the House without doing its work. As a result, there is a great deal of resistance on an issue that I would argue there would be wonderful support for and very strong leadership on, even from the first nations.
What is upsetting a number of people is the way in which the government feels it can bring in legislation without working with first nations leaders. At the end of the day, if the government really wants to deal with many of the outstanding first nations issues, it has to recognize there is not only a legal obligation but many would argue a moral obligation to be working with first nations and aboriginal leaders in order to resolve these matters. If the government did that, we would be ahead in terms of making our communities a better place to live.