Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Aboriginal Peoples
Issue 17 - Evidence - June 19, 2008
OTTAWA, Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, to which was referred Bill C-34, An Act to give effect to the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, met this day at 9:04 a.m. to give consideration to the bill.
Senator Nick G. Sibbeston (Deputy Chair) in the chair.
[English]
The Deputy Chair: Colleagues, I am Nick Sibbeston from the Northwest Territories. I co-chair this committee with Senator St. Germain. This morning we begin consideration of Bill C-34, An Act to give effect to the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.
This legislation completes the ratification of the tripartite comprehensive land claims and self-government agreement among the Tsawwassen First Nation, British Columbia and Canada. This is the first modern treaty to be concluded under the British Columbia Treaty Commission process and the first provincial urban treaty. I would like to welcome our senators: Senator Larry Campbell from B.C., Senator Peterson from Saskatchewan, Senator Hubley from Prince Edward Island, Senator Tkachuk from Saskatchewan and Senator Stratton from Manitoba.
I welcome Mr. Michel Roy, the Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government; and Ms. Margo Novak, Negotiator, Indian and Northern Affairs, South Region. We appreciate your appearance before our committee to provide information. Once your presentation is complete, if you would be open to answering questions, we would appreciate that. Mr. Roy, please proceed.
Michel Roy, Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I welcome this opportunity to appear before this committee to speak to Bill C-34, the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement Act, which is a major milestone in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations in this country. Before I outline the bill's many notable features, I first want to introduce Ms. Margo Novak from Indian and Northern Affairs B.C. region. Ms. Novak was the negotiator for the Tsawwassen agreement.
I would like to begin my remarks by underlining that this truly is landmark legislation. This modern-day treaty is the first final agreement reached under the British Columbia treaty process to be presented to Parliament for ratification.
[Translation]
Not only is this a remarkable achievement for the province of British Columbia; Bill C-34 also represents a major breakthrough for all of Canada, because this is also the first treaty set in a metropolitan area to be negotiated in our country. Set in Greater Vancouver, it will bring increased certainty and economic benefits to the entire Lower Mainland region — and to Canada as a whole.
This historic document also represents a watershed in establishing a new partnership with aboriginal people. Bill C- 34 brings real world reconciliation. With its passage, we will confirm our shared commitment to a respectful and equitable relationship between the Tsawwassen first nation and its neighbours in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. A renewed relationship built on cooperation, respect and trust. This legislation is a model of what can be accomplished when we negotiate in good faith.
[English]
Mr. Chair, this morning I want to briefly touch on a few of the many progressive features of this legislation. At the very heart of treaty-making, Bill C-34 defines and clarifies the Tsawwassen First Nation's rights regarding the ownership and management of its land and resources. The treaty represents full and final settlements with Tsawwassen First Nation, ensuring certainty for all signatories to this final agreement.
With certainty over land and resource ownership established and the assurance of positive working relationships across government, there will be tremendous dividends for both First Nations and non-Aboriginal business interests in the region. There will now be increased incentive for investors to explore opportunities for economic growth in partnership with the Tsawwassen First Nation and others. Thanks to this treaty, all parties can move forward together in confidence with these issues finally resolved.
The treaty also includes a multimillion-dollar cash settlement to compensate Tsawwassen First Nations for lost lands, lost resources and lost opportunities over the pass century or more. The new Tsawwassen government will be able to invest strategically in the social and economic development projects, an important building block for strong and healthy First Nations communities.
[Translation]
Of course, economic development and social progress depend on first nations taking the lead in shaping their future. The key to unleashing this potential is ensuring they have the modern governance tools they require, which the self- government agreement in this treaty provides.
The Tsawwassen government will be recognized as a local government, compatible with other local governments in Canada, enabling it to enter the economic and political mainstream. Equally important, Bill C-34 gives Tsawwassen members a direct say in decisions affecting their community, whether they choose to run for office or simply vote for their elected representatives. Community members will also be able to learn more about how their government operates.
The legislation requires the first nation to have a constitution that provides for government that is democratically and financially accountable to its citizens. This will ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the entire community. Even non-members living on Tsawwassen lands have guaranteed rights and protections under this act to ensure fairness for all.
[English]
Of particular importance to the Tsawwassen people are self-government provisions related to their resources and culture. Tsawwassen members will have the right to harvest wildlife and migratory birds for food and social and ceremonial purposes within the representative wildlife or migratory bird harvesting areas. Fishing will also be allowed for food, social and ceremonial purposes. However, fishing will be confined to designated areas and subject to conservation, public health and public safety considerations.
Mr. Chair, Bill C-34 balances the needs and interests of all parties. Of all the compelling reasons to ensure speedy passage of this legislation, perhaps none is more important than the treaty relationships. Treaties are both the anchor of the longstanding relationship between the Crown and First Nations and an ongoing building block of the Canadian federation.
Like all modern-day treaties, this final agreement rights an important historic wrong. Just as important, it sets the stage for a better future. This treaty will enable us all to continue moving forward together to achieve the goal of a better quality of life for First Nations in Canada.
I want to thank the committee for the special consideration that you are giving to this legislation and the special circumstances of this hearing this morning. We appreciate that and we want to thank you. We will be happy to answer any of your questions.
Senator Campbell: I would like to congratulate Ms. Novak for her hard and diligent work. She must have the patience of Job.
I am from British Columbia. I sat on the Greater Vancouver Regional District board, GRVD, and listened to the numerous arguments. I am familiar with the process. It took incredible patience on the part of all parties to reach this agreement.
Could you comment on the importance of the Cook decision? That is landmark and involves all of Canada. I will give a preamble on it.
There are basically four First Nations in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. When this agreement was going forward the other First Nations brought a suit to block any further progress on this because there are overlapping claims. In fact, in Vancouver, something like 150 per cent of the land is claimed. There was a decision called Cook. I wonder if could you comment on it and its importance to the rest of the treaty processes in Canada.
Margo Novak, Negotiator, Indian and Northern Affairs, South Region, Indian Affairs and Northern Affairs Canada: Thank you for your comments earlier.
It was a significant case in that the claimants brought the case before we had the opportunity to consult with them. They claimed that we were not consulting with them. It was a clear indication when it was rejected by the court that they needed to participate in the consultation just as the Crown had. Therefore, we needed that opportunity to consult with them and in fact we are continuing to do that up until effective date. It was a clarification of when the consultation needed to begin. Many First Nations were saying that we should have consulted earlier, but in fact you could never reach a treaty if you started negotiating and consulting from day one because you would not be able to come to a resolution of anything that you could actually table to the First Nation with which you were negotiating.
It was important in that sense to clarify that you can only really start consulting once you know what it is you are talking about.
Senator Stratton: Is the Tsawwassen band on the delta south of Vancouver?
Senator Stratton: I am looking at the small map. It is a highly urbanized area. You have this reserve of 290 acres with about 350 souls living there. That is remarkable in a highly industrialized area.
Senator Campbell: It is where the ferry terminal is. It is their land. I do not want to be part of the conversation but it is surrounded by what is called the agricultural reserve. Except for the port and ferry terminal, it is surrounded by farmland.
Senator Stratton: How long has this taken, since you have been referred to as having the patience of Job?
Ms. Novak: It has taken about 14 years since the negotiations commenced.
Senator Stratton: Once you knew with whom you were negotiating and how, could you take us through the process? Many people say you have an agreement finally. It took 14 years. What was the process?
Ms. Novak: In British Columbia, this is the first treaty under what is called the British Columbia Treaty Commission process. This is a process that is overseen by a commission of appointees by the various parties. It sets out a six-stage process. You start off with the submission of the claim by the bands, and then you go through a framework agreement, which is a negotiated process. That sets out the topics that you will discuss. Following that, there is the agreement in principle stage. That is treaty-lite, if you like; it talks about what the treaty will contain. That must be a tripartite agreement as well. Then you get to the actual final agreement. This is the document that we have in front of us. The agreement in principle for Tsawwassen took about four years. The final agreement took two. Then you get into the pre-implementation stage, which is what we are doing now. We are preparing for effective date, and for Tsawwassen all of the lands will be registered in the provincial Land Title Office. There are over 1,000 interests on this one little reserve plus the new land they will get. There is a tremendous amount of work now. We are targeting to try and have effective date next spring. Following that is the real implementation stage, which is the final stage of the treaty. That is when, once the funding is flowing to the First Nation, they are enacting their laws and so forth.
Senator Stratton: Mr. Roy, you were saying in your presentation it was a "landmark agreement." Will this set the stage for other agreements that will be reached? Why would you call this a landmark agreement?
Mr. Roy: Essentially, it is the first one in B.C. under the British Columbia Treaty Commission process. In addition, it is the first one in an urban area.
Senator Stratton: Is this unique or will this be for the British Columbia area only? Is this approach being used elsewhere? What makes this landmark?
Mr. Roy: It is consistent with what is going on elsewhere in the country. One aspect of it that is unique and will have an implication for everything in the future for any other agreement is the way that we approach implementation.
This committee in the past had views around the implementation of a modern treaty. In the context of this agreement we are trying to address some of those issues. That will have an impact on other treaties in the future.
Senator Stratton: This landmark agreement took 14 years. Once having done that, will subsequent agreements take less time? Is that also the objective as well?
Mr. Roy: That is also the objective.
Senator Stratton: Are you expecting subsequent agreements to take four years, six years, eight years, or do you know?
Mr. Roy: We cannot talk about something like four or five years because those are complex agreements. They are constitutionally protected, involve provinces, et cetera. The agreement is complex, and, of course, all of the process is being directed by cabinet in our case. We have to go back to cabinet on a regular basis to ensure that the government is on side and supporting what we are trying to achieve. With respect to the mandate we are getting from them, they want to find out if we are within the mandate provided by cabinet.
Senator Stratton: I would imagine other agreements are in process?
Mr. Roy: In British Columbia, yes, there are.
Ms. Novak: Part of the challenge of being the first one is that you are breaking new ground and setting certain parameters and precedents. Two other final agreements will be coming fairly shortly, and about four are close. They have all built upon the work done in the Tsawwassen.
Senator Stratton: That is good to hear. We are finally making progress on a lot of this.
Ms. Novak: Indeed, we are.
The Deputy Chair: Along the same line of questioning, I would be interested if you could provide information on the process of third-party interests. Most land claims, with which we are familiar, particularly in the outer reaches of the country, involve unoccupied Crown land. Obviously, this is an urban setting, people are settled there and have an interest in the land, so you are dealing with occupied land. How do you deal with those interests that have to give up their rights?
Ms. Novak: We have an extensive consultation process established within our office, and we regularly held consultations with those interests that you identified. We had over 70 meetings with a variety of groups. We met with fisheries interests, of course, extensively, on individual area-based fishing, as well as on a broader basis. We met with business interests locally. As Senator Campbell alluded, we met with the Greater Vancouver Regional District and with the municipality of Delta as well. Additionally, there were information sessions held with chambers of commerce, the local chamber in Tsawwassen, and with residents.
We spent particular time meeting with the on-reserve leaseholders. In fact, the on-reserve leaseholders outnumber Tsawwassen members. They were an important element and we needed to address their interests. Over the period of time, we would meet several times a year and identify where we were in the negotiations and then tabled the final agreement with them.
The Deputy Chair: The long-term goal is that the Tsawwassen people will, with the claims they have, become economically self-sufficient and play a role in the life of Delta or Vancouver.
Ms. Novak: Very much so. As has been identified, they have currently only the one small reserve, and it is surrounded by industry. Because it is such a small land base at the moment, they cannot house all their members on reserve. Gaining an increased amount of land — it is quite a small parcel compared to some of the agreements in the North, as I am sure you are aware — they hope to be able to provide housing for their members and have economic development. They have recently released their land-use plan to the public, and they will be voting on that in July. They want to become part of the community.
They have become a member of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. They will sit there as a board member, a director, and participate with the community and planning developments that will take place in Vancouver. Their goals are for employment and education for their people, and they are very excited about moving forward in implementing the treaty.
Senator Peterson: This morning we have talked about 14 years being a long time, but compared to some of the presentations we have had with this committee, that is warp speed.
I hope you can share the expertise and knowledge you have gained from this with other First Nations to streamline their application process. What you have done here is remarkable.
Mr. Roy, in terms of future development and economic activity, would this area be a part of an approving authority that is greater than just their area, or would they become a part of the Vancouver planning district in how they relate to other areas?
Mr. Roy: As Ms. Novak just said, they will be part of the Greater Vancouver management regime. They will sit on the board. The reserve status will disappear. They would not have reserve status anymore.
Ms. Novak: They will no longer be under the Indian Act.
Senator Stratton: Are they incorporated as a municipality?
Ms. Novak: At the moment, the reserve is within the Corporation of Delta. Those boundaries will be removed. They will not be an Indian Act band; they will be a First Nation with their own governance over their lands.
Senator Campbell: Metro Vancouver is made up of 22 municipalities, and within that we have four First Nations. We have Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsawwassen. Two are in North Vancouver. Depending on the size of the municipality — for example, Belcarra has probably a thousand people — it will get a director, and the director will sit as a municipality on the GVRD and participating, which is quite incredible. It will be nice to move to the point where we have Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam and Squamish in exactly the same position. It will be quite a feat.
Senator Peterson: They do have taxing authority on the property and on boundary services like water and sewer. Will they have to pay their contributing share to the municipality of Vancouver or whoever is providing it?
Ms. Novak: That is correct.
Senator Hubley: Welcome this morning, and my congratulations to both of you. It gives our committee a sense of honour to be here and to be part of listening to you and to reviewing the bill.
We are in a landmark position now, and many aspects of your treaty are unique. Is there flexibility within the treaty itself to make the implementation a smooth and fulfilling process? Do you feel that there is enough give-and-take within the boundaries of this treaty to make it a smooth implementation?
Ms. Novak: Yes, I do. We have learned from the earlier negotiations in the North and taken a slightly different approach in the negotiation of the treaty and also the separate fiscal financing agreement that goes along as part of the treaty package. For example, the funding is negotiated among the three parties: British Columbia, Tsawwassen and Canada. The funding that the federal government brings is based on the activities that need to be carried out by a First Nation government. Previously, the funding was more on a per capita basis. Whether a government or a nation is large or small, it still has to carry out the same activities. We hope that has addressed the issue.
In addition, the fiscal financing agreement is renewed every five years, or more, depending on the timing, so the opportunity is there to renegotiate, if you like, for any unforeseen circumstances.
Senator Tkachuk: There are three groups. There are 350 members in this reserve. According to the information I received from the Library of Parliament, about 175 members are off reserve. There are people off reserve and on reserve, and there are the leaseholder trusts.
In your consultation process, how did that work? What impact and what influence did the people off reserve have on the process? How did you satisfy the leasehold interests?
Ms. Novak: I will start with the off-reserve members. That was left basically to the First Nation to inform their community and their members, and they did a fantastic job of that. They held family meetings and they travelled to the locations where their non-members live. Some of them live in Bellingham, Washington and others live in Vernon, in another area of British Columbia. They had a 70 per cent ratification vote. There is a Supreme Court case of Corbiere which says that whether you live on the reserve or not, you have to have a say in the band assets.
They were very diligent and had tremendous support. They are hoping, in fact, that these people will come and live on the reserve again. They also are part of their community. They are a small community, but their members are all very important to them culturally, so that was essential.
In terms of reconciling interests of the leaseholders, this was a bit more of a challenge. The leaseholders already pay their property tax to Tsawwassen, but they actually vote in the municipality of Delta, which is kind of odd. It is like representation without taxation, if you like. Now they will continue to pay their property taxes to Tsawwassen, but they will no longer have the ability to vote in Delta.
Within the treaty, we have set out provisions that the Tsawwassen First Nation government must consult the leaseholders on any decision that impacts those people, whether it is taxation, speed limits on roads, land use development, et cetera. That is more than they get now from Delta, for example, and they have more than they had under the Indian Act. In addition, there will be a taxation board or an institution, a public institution. They will have the opportunity to stand for election and sit on this board, so they will have direct input.
Senator Tkachuk: Is that like a condo board?
Ms. Novak: No, it will be a taxation institution. What will happen is that the Tsawwassen First Nation will pass a law or set the tax rate and it will have to go through this public institution for review, consultation and input.
Senator Tkachuk: However, if they lease land and have a home there, they will not be able to vote for the First Nation government.
Ms. Novak: No.
Senator Tkachuk: How were their interests satisfied? Is it because they had no choice in the matter or there is just a lot of trust going on?
Ms. Novak: They have an excellent relationship with the Tsawwassen First Nation. They have been talking directly and are still talking.
Senator Tkachuk: The land is now held fee simple. What kind of corporation is this? Is it a municipal corporation or a private corporation with shareholders? How will the land be held? Under what legal vehicle will the land be held?
Ms. Novak: The legal vehicle is actually the treaty. Through the treaty, the First Nation is identified, created, as well as the First Nation government. I know it is a hard concept to come to grips with, but it is not a municipality and it is not an Indian band; it is a new entity.
Senator Tkachuk: It is a new legal entity.
Ms. Novak: Yes. It is the same with any First Nation government, for example, the Yukon First Nations or Nunavut.
Senator Tkachuk: So it can be sued and it can sue; it has all the Canadian rights of any other legal institution?
Ms. Novak: Exactly. It is a legal entity.
Senator Tkachuk: There are no shareholders, obviously, so it is sort of a treaty, like a government that owns the land. How are the interests of each individual band member protected? There are 350 members. Where before they were protected by the Indian Act and by the treaty itself, now the Indian Act is gone and you have this new institution. How are their interests protected?
Mr. Roy: First, it is clear that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the human rights charter, will apply to every citizen, so they have that protection. In addition, the accountability regime of the government vis-à-vis their citizens is clear under the Indian Act. The Indian band government is accountable to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. With the treaty, now they will be accountable to their citizens. They will have a say on how their government is doing. It will be democratic. There is a public board that will be implemented as well.
Ms. Novak: Directly written into the treaty, they have the right of legal redress, just as any other citizen, to a judiciary.
Senator Tkachuk: How are the collective rights protected?
Ms. Novak: The treaty is an exchange of Aboriginal rights for treaty rights and each one is written out. It is clear now. That is the benefit of the treaty, that we get certainty, particularly for members. Members know where their rights are and where they can exercise them. The First Nation will administer the rights on behalf of the members.
Senator Tkachuk: You say they are like a local government. Let us explore that. Has the province assumed health and education rights? How will that be structured? We are talking about a municipality of 175 voting people, some of whom are children, I would think. That is the size of the village I grew up in. There is not a lot of economic activity going on when you have 150 people, although the village I grew up in was okay. It is a small village. How will they run their schools? Will the schools be federally run or do they just make deals with Delta and other municipals and send their kids to their schools?
Ms. Novak: That is exactly it. There is an intergovernmental relations chapter that deals with establishing how things will interact. They do not intend to open schools. They want to focus on employment and promotion of education. They want to focus on early childhood programs. They have the ability within the treaty to have law making over schools, but they intend to focus their energies elsewhere and continue the arrangements that they currently have provincially. It is similar with respect to health care as well.
Senator Tkachuk: The 175 people who do not live there obviously do not contribute to the reserve. They do not live there or work there. They live somewhere else. Are their interests bought off, or will they still be able to vote and influence what happens even though they do not live there? That seems odd. How will that work? You could win an election having no local support whatsoever but having the support of the people who live outside the reserve.
Ms. Novak: That is what the common law directed must occur.
Senator Tkachuk: Therefore, there will never be an end to it?
Mr. Roy: No, because we have court decisions that are clear about that.
Senator Tkachuk: You cannot write a cheque to say, "You are out of there." You cannot volunteer to be out of there, can you?
Mr. Roy: You can volunteer to be out of there if you refuse to vote.
Senator Tkachuk: That is the only way.
Mr. Roy: Yes.
Senator Tkachuk: I have a few questions on the local government aspect. Will they be seen more as having municipal powers, or do they have any powers that would normally be ascribed to the province, since they are an Indian band?
Mr. Roy: A municipality would not have jurisdiction over education, for example. In this case, they have jurisdiction, but they decided not to implement that jurisdiction. They will keep the agreement they have with the province and the surrounding municipalities. That is their decision. We are talking about one group. We have the same situation in other treaties where we have 10, 15 or 20 communities. They will have that jurisdiction over education, but that is a different reality because they have the numbers.
In this case, they have the same rights, but it is being implemented differently because of the situation. It is one community with one group of 200 or 300 people.
Senator Tkachuk: Will other provincial powers be the same, such as policing and the courts?
Ms. Novak: Yes. Wherever there is law making set out in the agreement, there is also what we call a conflict of laws or paramountcy clause. In the areas of provincial jurisdiction, even though Tsawwassen may make laws about education, they must be compatible with provincial laws. If they are not and there is a conflict, then the provincial law might prevail. Policing is not available as a law-making jurisdiction, for example. You have to look at each jurisdiction to see how it is treated. Similarly, in areas of overriding national importance, federal laws prevail.
Senator Peterson: I think I read in the agreement that as the revenue stream of the Tsawwassen First Nation rises, the contribution of the federal government diminishes. Is this analyzed on a yearly basis? Is there any best estimate of how long this may take?
Ms. Novak: It is analyzed on a five-year basis, and it does not actually kick in immediately. Chief Baird herself, the Chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation, has said publicly that she hopes in about 15 years to be self-sufficient and no longer need any federal funding.
Senator Tkachuk: What incentive is there for them? If you are guaranteed federal funding, what incentive is there to be off federal funding?
Mr. Roy: That is the kind of discussion we have with First Nations. As long as you are dependent on the funding of another level of government, you cannot say you are self-governing. If you want to become self-governing, you have to be less dependent on funding from any other level of government. That is essentially the incentive for them. Their aspiration is to become self-governing. As long as they are dependent on the funding of the federal government, they cannot claim they are self-governing.
Senator Campbell: Within the treaty, are the different sections indexed to cost, or are the costs set to this year and never change? Are they indexed to the cost of living?
Ms. Novak: Yes, they are indexed to FDIPI.
Senator Campbell: The small village that Senator Tkachuk came from is much different than this. In fact, within their boundaries is Deltaport. Within their boundaries is the ferry. Quite a successful condominium project has been built. It is up and running with its own sewage system.
Senator Tkachuk: The village was where it all started.
Senator Campbell: I would like to comment first on Chief Kim Baird, who is quite a remarkable young woman. Through thick and thin, and I have been watching for many years, no matter what, she has stayed the course with her people. Believe me, there has been a lot of thin in the Lower Mainland over that period of time. She has always remained resolute. She has always been composed. I have never seen her lose her cool. She needs to be commended enormously on this.
I also want to commend the government for this bill. I want to commend the government and our leadership for helping move this forward. It was truly one of the most heartfelt days I ever had in the Senate. I was so proud that we got this done. I would like to commend all senators for their help in this. Thank you.
The Deputy Chair: With that, are there any further questions? If not, I thank Mr. Roy and Ms. Novak for their presentations and answering questioning today. We look forward to seeing them again in the future with more completed agreements.
Is it agreed that we proceed to clause-by-clause consideration?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall the titled stand postponed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall the preamble stand postponed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clause 1, which contains the short title, stand postponed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clauses 2 to 5 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clauses 6 to 10 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clauses 11 to 15 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clauses 16 to 20 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clauses 21 to 25 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clauses 26 to 30 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clauses 31 to 33 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall clause 1, which contains the short title, carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall the preamble carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall the title carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Shall the bill carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Deputy Chair: Does the committee wish to consider appending observations to the report?
Hon. Senators: No.
The Deputy Chair: Is it agreed that I report this bill to the Senate?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Senator Tkachuk: At the earliest possible time.
The Deputy Chair: Yes, on Thursday. With that, thank you all for expediting this matter.
The committee adjourned.