Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In the past when change occurred it was never to their benefit; it was always detrimental. But that was before we had a lot of the case law that has unfolded over the last 10 or 15 years. We are just like the general population. We have various treaties from the east to the west

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm optimistic. l'm always optimistic—I have to be in my job. I foresee in the future—it might not happen tomorrow, it might not happen next week or next month, but I foresee things slowly starting to change for the positive. I believe the change from Indian and Northern Affair

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I have a hard time, being a modern woman in a modern day, when I hear of women who have no place to go to escape violence and of children who are sometimes left to sleep in a car overnight to escape being beaten. I have a real hard time when a woman and child are left with nothin

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  At this point, we haven't had the opportunity to go out and visit any of the best practices. We've heard of them anecdotally. I can only go back to my home province. We were getting a small $15,000 grant from the provincial government. We took that small $15,000 and broke it in

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Currently we are working on an economic development strategy that will go forward to the minister. We're in the third stage of it right now. We're in the process of looking to set up an economic development corporation. We also have the new ASETS program, which is provided under

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Even in the urban centres our organizations do have powwows; they do practise their traditions. Every year one of our organizations in P.E.I. has a powwow at Panmure Island. Our people still travel the powwow routes. Now that they're becoming more prevalent on reserve, they do

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The changes for us, of course, are that some of our people who were not eligible for status are going to gain status. Unfortunately, not all of our people will, as I said, but at this point there are a lot of happy individuals out there. I do get the odd e-mail and phone call t

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Unfortunately, CAP does not receive the same capacity as our other national organizations. Of the $8 billion that is spent yearly in Canada on aboriginal issues, for every $8 spent on reserve only $1 is spent off reserve. We work hard with Stats Canada to try to capture the stati

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Maybe just slow down a bit.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  According to current case law, even though back when the treaties were negotiated we were using spears or bows and arrows, just like other people our traditions evolve and our way of doing things changes. We have the right to hunt with a long rifle. I am a long-gun owner. I have

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for your question. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I grew up in a traditional aboriginal family and I never lived on reserve. I grew up with my grandparents, who taught me the ways, and my great-grandparents. My first hunting trip was at four years old. We've alway

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning to the members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. It's an honour to be here on the unceded territory of the Algonquin people to present you with some priority issues of the Congress of Ab

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The fact of the matter is that you do have family breakups where children are involved. Depending on the family dynamic, you do have families who have intermarried: some are aboriginal, some are non-aboriginal. You have some from other reserves who have married in. In some cases

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think in a lot of cases it's probably going to remove a child from dangerous situations.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Those are the programs with preventive measures, and I think it's great. That is something that we at the congress have continually said, that there have to be preventive measures put in place for the child and the family, basically from womb to tomb. But let's be realistic, to