Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his comments and his question.
In response, I would say that white people did play a role in creating the indigenous governance system we are talking about now and that it was not done in accordance with indigenous traditions. The governance system was imposed in the 19th century. I have a problem with that because it is not up to us to tell indigenous peoples how to make decisions amongst themselves. This is simply a matter of respect.
With respect to indigenous governance, an expert from Ryerson University pointed out that it is the rule of law of those who make the rules, not the actual rule of law. The Prime Minister's reference to the rule of law is contrary to the Supreme Court's 1997 ruling in Delgamuukw, which recognized the hereditary chiefs' authority within their territory.