Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll start. [Witness speaks in Cree] I could hear and understand your different dialect, and I was very excited about that, because I was listening very closely. This is another educational moment here: we have different dialects of Cree. All four of us speak Cree, but we all

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think we'd have to go line by line to do that, but I think in the overall picture there are some gaps. We do see some benefits to the communities, for instance when you go through some place like Nisichawayasihk, where the most recent building they have is the interpretative ce

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think the discussion has to be initiated and reinvigorated with the first nations and representatives on a more equitable basis in respect of sharing or transferring the land. I think the most basic part of this is the principles we see in UNDRIP. If we actually saw the impleme

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think I'll leave it there and just reference that we've heard, in the Prime Minister's speech to the UN, of the importance of the relationship. He mentioned the points that affect indigenous people directly, and we'll hold him to account on the words he spoke. Although we appre

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Good morning. [Witness speaks in Cree] I'd like your translators to translate that, please.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  My name is Sheila North Wilson from the Bunibonibee Cree Nation, and I also have family in Pimicikamak Cree Nation. I'm the Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak. I'm very happy to be here. Thank you for the invitation. Welcome to Treaty No. 1 territory. I acknowledge

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  For sure, I would infuse it with indigenous thinkers, on that committee, and start honouring that perspective because that's what has always been missing in these policies and creations of these committees. I think you're right. We have a lot of good lip service from this governm

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm cautiously optimistic but not very hopeful. It will never meet the challenges that are there at this very second and that are endangering people's lives in this country.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It seems impossible now to say, but I think the provincial government should turn over Manitoba Hydro to our northern first nations to control and to implement policies that are based on the needs of first nations, but that's not going to happen. I think we're still trying to emb

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  First of all, I think we have to understand what jobs there are in our communities. It is a myth that there are no jobs in our communities, because there are. But they are ones that need post-secondary education; and we're starting off, when we leave our communities to go to post

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think that's an odd question because the decision to put people in third party management is based on government policies, and you're talking about something else on the capacity part that seems to be lacking.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, I think the more we build capacity and accountability in our first nations, the better. As I've said before, we operated and lived under our own laws and our own leadership for thousands of years before colonization, and we managed to survive. I think we forget that in the s

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  For the most part, no. But I know that there are sometimes what's called a northern post allowance for federal workers and others who get extra funding to buy the expensive food in our isolated communities, so when they're sent up there as teachers or other professionals they get

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think we need people who have engineering and economics degrees to figure out the mechanisms themselves, but some of my communities are short by 500 houses and some by 1,500 houses, just to catch up to the waiting lists. That reflects the high needs in our reserves. In some pl

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think at the end of the day we need to understand that our responsibility and our accountability does need to go to our first nations. I know a lot of people realize that and want that as well. It's not lost on us. At the same time, it is a process. Even the government policies