Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I haven't said anything.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It is not—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Georgina, with all due respect—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm not condescending to you.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I would wish that everybody at this table would stop condescending to them.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, I'm not missing the point. I'm not missing the point.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The nations and the bands themselves will determine that on their own. They will determine it on their own—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  —separate from me, separate from you, separate from everyone at this table.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That is exactly the point that we wish to be at should this bill pass.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't want to presume what that system will look like. I don't want to make any patronizing assumptions of how this will go. What we agreed upon were three fairly good principles, the first, of course, being for the child. The rights of the child are first and foremost. Secon

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  First and foremost, since I took this position, I'm determined to make sure that we help the individuals who have been affected, and not the agencies that sometimes represent them. I'm more interested in going to the individuals and not the agencies. This hasn't been done in a bi

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, it's in the middle of doing it. I'm going to throw it over to Joanne now.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It's not a word that I use easily, as my mother has been in similar situations as a nurse in the north where she had to forceably remove children from families.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, I'm saying—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm aware. I use the word “abduction” quite purposely because from the point of view of the family, that is what they see. With all due respect to my mother and her nursing colleagues, my motivation at the moment is the family, and what the family sees is an abduction.