Mr. Speaker, I have been in actual consultation with first nations across the region that I represent in northern British Columbia, and they are astounded at what they are seeing coming from the Conservative government with respect to education.
One place we can find agreement in this House among all the parties is with regard to the importance of first nations education in terms of achieving the kinds of success that we hope for for all Canadians. We know the statistics. We know the results and the failures that have gone on.
I have a question for my hon. friend across the way. In a number of communities in northern British Columbia and across British Columbia, new programs and new initiatives with greater control from the first nations communities have been under way. These first nations communities have been directing the programming and directing and supporting the types of initiatives that they know will work in their communities. They know best what will work, and they know it much better than the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development here in Ottawa does.
These people are actually on the ground with the students and the families. They know what the challenges are and what the solutions to those challenges might be.
I appreciated many of the comments by for my friend from the Liberal Party. Concerns are being raised, not just by us in the opposition but by first nations education leaders who have read the legislation. They have looked through the act and realize the implications of a consultative body that is appointed by the minister when the minister is not obligated to actually listen to the consultation.
My question is this: if we have had success and if we have started to see initiatives working that are more locally controlled, why, for heaven's sake, would the Conservatives choose this moment in our troubled history with first nations to try to seize more control back to the federal government, rather than support the programs that are working and that by and large have placed control much closer to the communities that are involved?