Status of Women committee  Well, it's so complicated, because you have a federal system that feels responsible to some of these citizens, rubbed up against a system of government that doesn't work. I have no straightforward answer for you. How there has been consultation on this bill has been an issue as well.

Status of Women committee  I think in some ways if you are going to impact first nations legal rights and capacity—if you are infringing upon their rights in some capacity—you need to inform them, right?

Status of Women committee  I think they disagree with what priority the federal government is imposing on fixing the gamut of problems.

Status of Women committee  Well, I can't speak on behalf of other first nations. I can tell you that—

Status of Women committee  Everything is a high priority, obviously. But will it work in light of the other systemic issues that need to happen to provide better capacity in first nations governments to make this a reality? It's kind of chicken and egg stuff. As I said earlier, I don't necessarily think that equality for women is a bad principle, but if you are implementing it in a way that's not going to achieve the results you're looking for, it's wasted effort.

Status of Women committee  Thanks, everyone. Thanks to the committee for having me, and thank you for your work on such a serious and important matter. Please bear with me. I'm going to give you a little bit of background about Tsawwassen, because I believe it's good context for my perspective. I was chief for 13 years and on council for 6 years at Tsawwassen.