Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The best way to answer, Jamie, is this: We have indigenous governments already, and if you look at [Technical difficulty—Editor] challenges that we've faced in this country for a while, you have the hereditary chiefs and the elected chiefs. What's important is to let them work it out.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Let's start first with what happened before. Right now, my biggest fear is that this document could be used as a weaponized tool for political purposes, not for what its good intentions will do for industry, for us, for indigenous people, for governments and for this country. If it's not used as a weaponized political tool and everybody just does it, being conscious of all the education and information received, I think it should go smoothly.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I actually complimented Premier Horgan and the rest of them in British Columbia for their far-reaching vision of moving on this pathway. If you look at the first nations in British Columbia, they are very well spoken and very well versed on the rights and issues of their matters, and so are the Métis trying to find their place in British Columbia.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I agree 100%. I think it's truly a blueprint that sets a foundation of clarity for everybody to work together. I think everybody wants that. Industry wants it. Political parties want it. Governments want it. Provincial and municipal governments and just people want it. I think she's absolutely right.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't think it advances Métis rights because we already have those rights. I think what it does is sets the clarity of the process, sets the clarity for how people and industry need to work with us. I will give you a perfect example. I speak highly of Enbridge. People have criticized Enbridge in the past, but I speak highly of them because they knocked on our door and said, “Look, we want to work with you, we want to sit down together, we want to partner with you, but we don't want a one-year agreement.”

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Let me say this. There is one particular amendment that we would support as long as it doesn't.... I'll tell you why. Thank you for your kind words. The reason we're not making any amendments.... This is not a perfect document—all of us in this room know that—but it's a good document.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  From our perspective, the way I see it, it's a transformation that's occurring in this country right now. I hope all governments would support that transformation and not say, “Oh, the Liberals started it, so we can't support it” or “The NDP started it, so we can't support it” or “The Bloc started it, so we can't support it”.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Let me start off this way, Mr. Powlowski. I travel the world quite a bit. I'm doing some work with indigenous people in Colombia. I've been going back and forth for a number of years now. We've been involved in the United Nations declaration since 1984-85, when the first discussions were taking place at that level, and of course, our president, Clément Chartier, is still really actively involved in international matters.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In western Canada, you're first nation, Métis nation or Inuit. Those are the three peoples that you will find in western Canada. From our perspective, there are a lot of similarities in the matters that we look for in the environment and the lands and mutual sharing of how we work on the lands.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, they're not. I don't see it that way, because I see duty to consult as responsibility. It's a legal responsibility that industry and governments have. Free and prior—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think I'm much older than you. During my lifetime, duty to consult just resonated itself into the works of our language today.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I mean, 30 or 40 years ago you didn't even see this happening. Only in the last several decades has the duty to consult been grabbing at better footing in this country. When you start to translate free and prior consent, let's understand really clearly what is actually.... I deal with industry a lot.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, I don't have to look. I can tell you right now. I think the message in UNDRIP is very clear. It allows indigenous governments to be governments. It sets the clarity of recognizing them as governments. The Métis nation has the responsibility—governments have the responsibility—to establish who the Métis nation is and who belongs to the Métis nation.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Okay. I usually don't read, Mr. Chairman. I speak off the cuff, but I wanted to give this particular committee the respect and the information it deserves on such an important message. I think it was very important for us to share as best we can. We've made it very clear from our perspective that, in the matters the AFN brought before you regarding amendments to be made, there's obviously a misreading of the preamble and paragraph 6.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Okay, I'll stop there, Mr. Chairman.