Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  My point would be that these are very complex and important questions. We must live comfortably with uncertainty. There are huge philosophical and cultural debates here, so there is uncertainty. Those who put too much weight on the idea of the looking-glass interpretive approach,

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Pardon my very bad hearing, but I'll reply to the question that I heard about whether we believe that the rights in the declaration are in the nature of human rights. My answer is that they are part of the international human rights regime. Therefore, in that sense, absolutely,

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. In light of the nature of the subject, I should say a few words about me and my background. I'm a Michif person from Manitoba. I'm one of 12 children of a Métis trapper, fisherman, and carpenter. I was born in 1943. I've seen life in very different circu

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think it would be ill-advised to try to do that in one bill that is aimed at some particular sections. I think it should be done by having a look at the entire structure and the relationship between the administrative authority of the minister, on the one hand, and the authorit

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, there are a number of provisions—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In a sense it is, but it's dangerous to.... I haven't looked into the details of that particular question. I simply suggest that one ought to be very cautious about the merits of trying to engage in amending things in respect to the financial relationships between bands today and

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That principle is a sound one, yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Different people use the word “paternalistic” to mean different things. I'm not a social scientist. I know the word “paternalism” is used a lot by people in history, education, and sociology. I'm not quite sure what they mean. I'm a father and a grandfather and I view paternalism

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  But there are other senses in which people use that term, and certainly the idea of looking after—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, but I thought I was quite clear and forceful in my opening remarks in suggesting that the person who knows best what is good for you is you. That applies to first nations. First nations know best what is best for the interests of first nations, not people in Ottawa, with res

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, I have, thank you.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, I suggested what I did today—some of them, not all of them. I can say—and I thank Mr. David for his very kind communications and assistance—that we had good discussions by telephone, and he said that in some particular instances he had received comments substantially similar

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  These were the objectives that were viewed as appropriate in 1876, when the members of the Canadian Parliament believed that indigenous people, Indian people, were going to become extinct. They were setting up a system to deal with the extinction of Indian people, to pursue assim

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I haven't seen anything in respect to reorganizing government institutions yet.