Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  If I could perhaps add, and I don't think I made this clear in my notes at the beginning, the independent assessment process is run separately from myself. I'm not responsible for it. The gentleman who runs it reports directly to the deputy minister. But I have been speaking with him because clearly we are very much involved in the process, in that the research that Canada presents to this adjudication process is key to the determination.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We regarded the apology as being very key to the moving forward of all our operations. We do take it very seriously in everything we do. I think reconciliation operates at very many different levels. It operates at a societal level in the sense of the relations between the rest of Canada and aboriginal people, but where we're more concerned is the relations between the survivors that we are trying to assist and to provide the payments to and ourselves, and the amount of support that is available to them.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The emphasis we put in the first set of operations on the common experience payment was to get the payments moving as quickly as we could. We'll go back and, for instance, find people who had claimed for maybe seven or eight years but we had records only for five. We'll do a reconsideration process that will give them the benefit of the doubt, and if we've lost records, that really is not their fault, it's ours, so we will be trying to respond to the needs in that way.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, very definitely. I mentioned the health support workers. We try to make sure that we are responding quickly in cases where people fall ill and are in desperate need of the payments. So we do try to provide some care at that level as well.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, the minister has begun discussions with some of his colleagues. I've heard very brief reports back from those discussions, and they will be continuing. I would perhaps add that the government has signed a protocol with the Métis, which also has this as a subject for discussion between the Métis and the government.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's right.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm not aware of that, sir, I'm sorry. We can get the answer on that to you.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The department has a couple of things in play. One is that we had a reorganization this summer, and a sector has been given responsibility for developing partnerships with aboriginal people. I think the record would speak for itself in that we do continue to deliver real, measurable, and tangible results for aboriginal people.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The matrimonial real property legislation does address a very difficult gap that exists between the rights that people have living off reserve and the ones on reserve with regard to marital and relationship breakdowns. The government regards this as a very serious issue. They've reintroduced the legislation just recently.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, I can. St. Paul's Hostel in the Yukon and Anahim Lake Dormitory in B.C. were the two that were added.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you. Good morning. I'd like to thank the chair and members of the committee for inviting us here today to talk about Indian residential schools and the work the government is doing to attempt to resolve the sad legacy the schools have left behind. I would like to provide you a brief historical overview, and then describe the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.