Mr. Speaker, it is my honour today to present a petition that was initiated by Ms. Denise Whitehead from my riding.
The petitioners say that under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, every individual in Canada is equal before and under the law, and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination. To this end, they are hoping that the First Nations Financial Transparency Act be enforced to ensure the accountability and transparency of bands to their membership, for the receiving of federal funding so that every head counted in the official first nations band membership numbers be included and that off-reserve members of the bands, who have been treated as aliens in the past, be included in the disbursement of funds and services.
They call upon the Government of Canada to enforce the First Nations Financial Transparency Act to ensure that off-reserve band members get equal levels of service from their bands.