Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Absolutely.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. First of all, I'd like to acknowledge and thank the people on whose traditional territory we are having this meeting today. I would also like to thank the committee for the invitation to appear before you today. I applaud the bill's objectives and I hope you'll give the bill thoughtful but speedy consideration.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I believe that in the beginning, not many communities could see the economic opportunity where they could utilize the services of access to capital. That's first and foremost. Emerging Supreme Court of Canada decisions have empowered first nations to participate more generally in the economy.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  All I can tell you is that it has not, up to this point, Madam. In fact, I'm encouraged that they're telling me they want somebody to be there.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think it's important to appreciate that the value of the infrastructure institute is to be able to utilize the monetization that hopefully will come, but it also provides value in looking at alternative procurement processes, such as public-private partnerships and stacking of revenues.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I want to go back to what Ernie said, which is that the federal government has to recognize and permit aggregations. We have to move beyond the Indian Act mentality. This act is only there to support. You raised the communities that participated in the 2010 Olympics. It was the recognition that we could get a benefit collectively that we couldn't get individually that made us come together.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you. If you look at the examples of some of the clients who are in the First Nations FMA, you'll be able to see where they've taken this innovation and created economic development opportunities. Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba, Fisher River in Manitoba, the Mi'Kmaq bands in the Maritimes, all of these communities have taken the capacities and innovations of the fiscal management act and used their imagination to leverage revenues with the finance authority to engage in economic development.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I was invited to be the chair of the financial management board right after the legislation was passed in 2005, and I was invited to be on the board of Trans Mountain about two and a half years ago. I don't have—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, I was—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I was invited to participate in the board after the government acquired Trans Mountain. I raised the issue of my position with the financial management board for them to consider, and if they felt it was a conflict—because I was not for or against any project, but wanted to be in a position where first nations had the opportunity to have some input—then they shouldn't consider me.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, the financial management board did not, because that's not our role. Others reached out to try to engage with them, but it was not their role. It's not the financial management board's role to reach out to people on those matters. It's not our role. As an individual, I may support a more pragmatic approach to how you get rid of fossil fuels.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, I am on the board.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I can't. I can only go by what I believe in and the knowledge that the project was going to proceed and that there needed to be economic benefits for first nations if it were to proceed.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm sorry but I don't know what the question is, if there is a question. Yes, I do sit on this board and I sit on the Trans Mountain board.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, my own community of Squamish, for example, did its own environmental assessment of a natural gas project on its traditional territory and established the rules and regulations under which it would take place. I think there is a role for first nations to be engaged in the natural resource extraction industry in this country and in establishing the standards under which these projects will be undertaken and to minimize the impact on the environment of doing so.