Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on comments the member made about indigenous identity fraud. We have been studying the Liberals' indigenous contracting scandal and how non-indigenous elite insiders, such as the member for Edmonton Centre, have had companies try to gain access to government contracts that are supposed to benefit indigenous entrepreneurs. One of the concerns I have been hearing from indigenous leaders is that indigenous identity fraud is a growing problem that is not taken seriously. The penalties that would normally be associated with fraud do not seem to be applied in the case of indigenous identity fraud.
We have people in various places, including when they seek government contracts, pretending to be indigenous and not facing any consequences. Even if they are found out and are not able to access whatever the opportunities are, there are still no penalties. We see this happening with the former minister from Edmonton Centre, in particular with his company. The company he owns is still eligible for government contracts. In other instances of fraud, this would automatically be taken more seriously, yet Liberals are turning a blind eye. They are not taking it seriously. They are not applying penalties when a company or an individual misrepresents themselves for commercial advantage by pretending to be indigenous.
Why does the member think the Liberals have consistently failed to take the concerns of indigenous leaders seriously when it comes to the growing problem of indigenous identity fraud?