Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm going to ask Candice Metallic to respond to your question.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, let me make the point here. In fact this is also in response to the previous question. We are as anxious as you are—and when I say “you are”, I'm talking about the committee and Parliament—to have this bill passed. Our hope is that this work will be completed and that the bill will be passed before the May break.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  When we first were offered this opportunity, our understanding was that we would be able to bring this into force fairly quickly. So we were dealing with a very short timeframe. That impacted on our ability to engage our community to the extent that would have been, I suppose, better for a number of our communities.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That is, but you have to look at it in the context of all things. One of the serious shortcomings in the current system is that we don't have the capacity or the resources to undertake the kind of research required to bring the claims forward. That's always been a huge problem, and it remains a big problem.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Bryan?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I made the point earlier, and I'll make it again. The political agreement is designed to deal with the large claims, those over $150 million. We've been assured that each of these claims will be addressed case by case and that the decision to deal with these large claims will ultimately be made by cabinet.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I certainly don't want to give mixed messages or leave you with the wrong impression. The questions that were posed and that I responded to here have to do specifically with Bill C-30. And I described how we entered into the process, the fact that we had to bring some trust to the process, and that there was goodwill in the process on the part of both sides.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I would make the point, first of all, that we would never deny the opportunity or the right of first nations to present their own views, their own takes, their own opinions on any work as reflected in this legislation. We would be completely offside on that. That's why I made the point in my presentation that we have to respect the right of all to state their position on any given legislation such as this one.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm going to ask Mr. Schwartz to respond to that question, sir.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  As I noted in response to Mr. Bruinooge's question, I'll repeat the same point I made: that there was considerable risk for both sides and it was very clear right from the start that success was going to be very much dependent on trust. We were prepared to trust the government that we'd be able to achieve success only if—I point out—we were fully engaged in the process, including crafting the legislation, to ensure that all our interests were reflected in the legislation, given the parameters.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There was considerable risk on the part of the two parties in this important undertaking—on the part of the federal government and of the Assembly of First Nations—and it had to do with trust. We came into the process determined to achieve success. We were dealing with an issue that had befuddled successive governments over 60 years, and we had just experienced what we thought would be a good outcome in the joint task force report of 1998.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In our view, the political agreement that's parallel to the legislation is based on goodwill on the part of the government and us. As I said, we understood going into this process that the legislation would not be able to address all the issues and concerns of various claimant groups.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In everything we do, whether we're talking about the fair and just resolution of claims, whether we're talking about education or about any matter of great importance to first nations people, we refer to elders. These must be considered as integral to any process. In this case, absolutely, it's going to be very important.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, I made the point as clearly as I could on the matter of consultation. We make a very concerted effort to consult with our people on any and every issue. On this particular issue, you have to remember, we're dealing with a matter that's been 60 years in the making. There have been many and varied attempts by different governments to resolve this issue, and in each attempt there's been some discussion and consultation with our people.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I remind the committee of the point I made in my opening statement on the issue of consultation, that in fact the duty to consult is a legal requirement that rests with the government, and we would never suggest...in fact, we can't assume this responsibility from the government.