Bob Nault

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very interesting to hear this from a party that has opposed every single piece of legislation brought to the House that would improve the abilities of first nation people to govern themselves.

Let me use one example. The Nisga'a agreement is a modern treaty, a modern self-government agreement that will give the first nation people the opportunity to be successful, and this party now tells me that it has concerns about first nation people. I think that is hypocritical.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, band councils are elected representatives of their communities.

If the member has the gall to do it, he should take these questions up with the band council in Samson. If he does that he will find that the first nation people there who elected those officials have a lot of respect and trust in their abilities to manage their affairs.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the issue of an ombudsman, it is a very interesting concept which the government is prepared to look at. However, we need to do what the hon. member who spoke yesterday suggested, that is, consult people before we make decisions related to a number of issues.

This is the same issue. We do not make decisions on behalf of first nations without holding consultations. We are in the process of consulting with the leadership of first nations. Once we have made the decision as to whether or not they think it is a good thing, we will undertake to do that.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, let me first say to the member that if he is making accusations of corruption in communities about individuals and elected officials, I would ask him to make those accusation in writing, give them to the solicitor general and we will look at them.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, when we are dealing with government to government relationships, we allow first nations people to make their own decisions.

A number of years ago white governments made the decisions for first nations. That is not the policy of this government. The policy of this government is to let first nations make their own decisions. Those decisions will be made much better at the community level than they will be made by me as the minister or by that party across the way.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, as I have stood and said in the House a number of times in the last number of months, to make it very clear, we are the most audited department in the government.

One of the things we do is ask the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants to audit first nations. Those audits include information which any first nation can get. All they have to do is ask the department for the information and it will be supplied.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I want to make this very clear to the member, because she may not understand what government to government relationships mean. When talking about government relationships, we allow governments which are duly elected by their memberships to make the decisions as to what salaries their elected officials will make. It is not up to the Government of Canada or this minister to make that decision for them.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the reality of government to government relationships means that we have to honour the abilities of the first nations people to make their own decisions.

The reality is that the first nations people will decide what will be the wages of their elected officials. At election time they will make that decision. When they make the decision they will choose the best person on the ballot.

[Canadian Institutes Of Health Research Act, March 23rd, 2000]

moved:

Motion No. 16

That Bill C-13, in Clause 4, be amended by replacing lines 22 and 23 on page 4 with the following:

“required,

(iii) work in collaboration with the provinces to advance health research and to promote the dissemination and application of new research knowledge to improve health and health services; and

(iv) engage voluntary”

[Canadian Institutes Of Health Research Act, March 23rd, 2000]

moved:

Motion No. 4

That Bill C-13, in the preamble, be amended by replacing lines 15 and 16 on page 1 with the following:

“WHEREAS Parliament recognizes that the provinces are responsible for the delivery of health care to Canadians and that the”