Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Richards and honourable members of the committee. Just briefly, I was introduced, of course and you heard my name as Austin Bear. I'm the chief of the Muskoday Cree nation, Treaty 6, in what is now the province of Saskatchewan. Our community is

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for that question. I mentioned briefly earlier that at the moment there are, I believe, 112 signatories to the framework agreement, with 54 or 55 operational across the land. Using the last number I know, there are about 60 to 65 first nations across the country that w

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Absolutely. Just recently, it was announced by the minister and the lands advisory board that there will be six new entrants from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and perhaps Quebec. Those are not new entrants, although they are first nations new to the process. They are

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you. The Indian Act on land management and the obstacles and barriers found in that sector are complicated further, or enhanced further, by just what you mentioned. First nations, and I'll speak of my own, need greater capacity in education and training. We have students

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Actually, we have here an operational first nation and an original signatory to the agreement from 1996. My friend and colleague Councillor Bill McCue from the Chippewas of Georgina Island, this might be a good question for you.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think in many first nations, one of the obstacles and delays to land use development is the dreaded and snail-paced process of additions to reserves. With TLE lands, TLE land claims, settled specific claims, it's a dreadful process. I'll use my own first nation as an example. I

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Of course, section 89 of the Indian Act no longer applies to my first nation.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  However, if it's an opportunity where the member wishes to acquire a mortgage for a home, the member is granted a registered interest in the land. The interest can be mortgaged—not the land itself, because the title doesn't remain with our first nation, but the registered leaseho

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Sorry, I'm not sure I caught the last part of the question.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm sorry.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Are you asking me?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you. I'll answer this way, first, with the first nations market housing fund, our first nation has done some exploration and investigation. We haven't proceeded with that, and we haven't entertained CMHC. We provide housing through private homes and/or social housing. We m

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I know how my first nation manages our responsibilities and commitments on any funding, whether it's housing or otherwise, and the accountability and transparency to our members and to the funding agencies. I can't answer to what other first nations do. I have no way of knowing w

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, on first nations ownership, private ownership, or first nations lands being fee simple lands, I can't support that. I haven't in the past. The biggest reason is that our lands are treaty lands, lands acquired because of the settlement of the territory by means of treaty—a

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Oh, absolutely. Of the 634 first nations in Canada, I would suggest that they're all willing partners. They may not be willing partners to the framework agreement at this time, but they're certainly seeking every opportunity to improve the lives and the conditions of their citize