Discussion · Government Orders
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Québécois
“First Nations do not trust the government on this issue. They did not agree to the details in this water bill beforehand. The government has a majority and says it will not change the bill, but it must be open to making changes.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is the great challenge. If the past is any indication, the trust that first nations themselves place in the government on this fundamental issue is low. The government has a responsibility to demonstrate consistency, predictability, leadership and the most fundamental form of respect, which is enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I have concerns in that regard, because the mechanisms have not been agreed upon in advance by first nations members themselves. All of this is already set out in the first draft of the bill. Now that the government has a majority, what we are essentially being told is that the government is unlikely to change anything and we will have to work with what has already been decided. That is not how it works.”
Mr. Speaker, that is the great challenge. If the past is any indication, the trust that first nations themselves place in the government on this fundamental issue is low. The government has a responsibility to demonstrate consistency, predictability, leadership and the most fundamental form of respect, which is enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I have concerns in that regard, because the mechanisms have not been agreed upon in advance by first nations members themselves. All of this is already set out in the first draft of the bill. Now that the government has a majority, what we are essentially being told is that the government is unlikely to change anything and we will have to work with what has already been decided. That is not how it works.