Finance committee  Yes, some of our communities engage in that currently in British Columbia, as I described earlier.

Finance committee  I'm not particularly certain about that, but I would agree with the position taken by the Union of Ontario Indians and Regional Chief Toulouse's point of view.

Finance committee  No. That's incorrect.

Finance committee  I believe we pay for both PST and GST when we're off reserve.

Finance committee  Yes. We don't have a point-of-sale exemption.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Laforest. I'd like to explain a little bit about the background of this particular issue and then refer directly to your question, which is about economies in first nations communities. And I'll refer to most of those in British Columbia. In our estimation, the honour of the crown is at stake when dealing with this particular issue in our communities.

Finance committee  Thank you, Honourable Chair. It's good to be here today. I'd just like to say a few words in my language. [Witness speaks in Secwepemc] My name is Chief Keith Matthew. I'm from the Simpcw First Nation. I'm on the HST committee for the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. I'd like to open my comments by saying that we do not see this as adequate or meaningful consultation on this particular issue, to be called one hour before a committee meeting.