Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for giving me the time to speak. I think I probably know more about the Indian Act than anybody else in the room. I'm not bragging, but I was the one who indexed it in the 1970s. Most people probably have a copy of the index that I did on the Indian Act. I think the problem, the issue, of the piecemeal amendments to the Indian Act is that, going back to the 1969 white paper, and even before that, when people appeared in Ottawa in 1948 and 1949 about the Indian Act, the act put in place a regime that cannot be changed piecemeal.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I am Sharon Venne. I'm with Chief Craig Makinaw.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Excuse me. I wanted to get it all in before 10 minutes. I'll slow down.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Okay. The judges in the court of appeal said in paragraph 66: I do not doubt that the arguments might be made to the effect that the elements of Indian status should be viewed as aboriginal or treaty rights. The interplay between statutory rights of Indians and the constitutionally protected aboriginal rights is a complex matter that has not to date been thoroughly canvassed in the case law.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I have four.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. They are: that Parliament move away from the physical support of individuals and move towards the physical support of first nations; that the whole concept of status should be climbing in significance and moving towards first nations identification; that the government go back to the structure of the treaty, understanding that the crown is the treaty partner, not the federal government; and that this relationship be based on the honour of the crown.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Good afternoon. I'd like to thank the members of the committee for giving us time to make a presentation. I am speaking here on behalf of the chief and council of Onion Lake Cree Nation, which is in the Treaty 6 territory located in the present provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.