Natural Resources committee  I'd like to thank the members of the committee, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much.

Natural Resources committee  I don't think there's a simple answer to your question, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be working together to find the answer that everybody can look at and say this is a reasonable implementation of the principle. I also think this is something that's incumbent on first nat

Natural Resources committee  I don't think anything says that consent has to be unanimous. We're watching an American election. It won't be unanimous. We need to listen to the first nations, for them to tell, for them to engage, to say, well, what's your definition of consent, and what is the governance th

Natural Resources committee  I'm saying there needs to be an agreement on a process to reach consent. It's also a simple practical reality, particularly when you're looking at developments in remote communities. How would you propose to build a mine if a community right next to it is completely opposed to

Natural Resources committee  Well, what I'm hoping is that we can be making some progress on the further details of what we're going to be able to discuss. The federal government so far has not been part of the process. In our discussions, I think the province and the first nations are agreed that it's impor

Natural Resources committee  I think the potential of the Ring of Fire is huge, and the estimates go very high, but the fact of the matter is that developing a resource like that, in addition to requiring the participation and consent of the first nations, also requires considerable infrastructure investment

Natural Resources committee  I think there is an effort to deal with this. We are a complicated country. It's not that easy. But I think there really is now a renewed effort to do that. At the federal level, I had the opportunity to meet with the Clerk of the Privy Council to talk about this. Because of hi

Natural Resources committee  I think the Government of British Columbia and Premier Campbell led the way. I think he led the way because he realized that there was no alternative but a different relationship with first nations. For three years I had the honour of serving as chair of the first nations limit

Natural Resources committee  Again, it's a big topic, but briefly put, we know that Mr. Harper and the national chief signed an agreement on education that didn't carry. Now we have to go back and figure out what new agreement on education we can get to. I think, frankly, it would also involve the province

Natural Resources committee  I think we only have a restricted period of time. I'm not using that as a way of excusing not answering the question. I will try to answer it, but it is part of a longer discussion. The first thing I would say is that within its own jurisdiction the federal government can of cou

Natural Resources committee  My view would be that the federal government engagement needs to be coordinated between departments much more effectively than it has been. First nations have to fill out forms every time they file for an application, whether it's for FedNor, INAC, the Department of Health, or wh

Natural Resources committee  I'm aware of that meeting.

Natural Resources committee  I think I know which chief you're talking about.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you very much for the opportunity.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. To you and members of the committee, thank you very much for the invitation to attend. I had the opportunity yesterday to speak to some of my colleagues in Parliament, but I also had a chance to meet with a Chamber of Commerce round table that