Mr. Speaker, I want to thank this member for the important work that he did as my predecessor, in the position of parliamentary secretary of Indian Affairs, as it was then and, with respect to this important piece of legislation, really brokering the relationships and putting all of us here in this place in a unique position and providing a unique opportunity with respect to this legislation.
In addition to the extensive consultation that was done, this really reflects the simple fact that it was actually authored by first nations leaders themselves, in particular Ron Evans, a gentleman for whom I have a great deal of respect in his former capacity as chief of Norway House, as I was then living in his community as a nurse. He did great work, and I appreciate that.
My question is with respect to this legislation and that it is really a fourth option. The member has described some of the problems with the Indian Act: the opportunities that communities have to tailor to their own needs and, of course, under self-governing agreements. However, this would give communities an important fourth option. Just beyond the governance piece, can the member talk about the new stability under this regime that communities could opt in to and could provide real economic stability in addition to the complementary governance piece?