Skip to content

APPA - Standing Committee

Indigenous Peoples

Past Session: Past Session:
41-1 41st Parliament, 1st Session (June 2, 2011 - September 13, 2013)
Select a different session
Download as PDF

Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Aboriginal Peoples

Issue 28 - Tenth Report of the Committee

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples has the honour to table its

TENTH REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized to examine the subject matter of Division 8 of Part 4 of Bill C-45, a second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, has, in obedience to the order of reference of Tuesday, October 30, 2012, examined the said subject matter and now reports as follows:

In principle, the committee supports the Bill C-45 amendments that are designed to streamline the current land designation procedures under the Indian Act. The committee heard from all witnesses, however, that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada had not consulted or engaged with potentially affected First Nations people prior to the introduction of these amendments, even though a joint process with the Assembly of First Nations is in place to discuss these and related issues. The committee further notes with extreme concern that the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development sent a letter informing First Nation Chiefs and Councils of these amendments only after the bill had been introduced. This, in the opinion of your committee, is insulting to First Nations and is unacceptable. The committee is very concerned that the manner in which these amendments were introduced represents a missed opportunity to meaningfully engage with First Nations people and to achieve consensus on an issue of importance to all First Nations with reserve lands governed by the Indian Act.

Respectfully submitted,

VERNON WHITE

Chair

Appendix — List of witnesses
(Organization and individuals)

Study on the subject-matter of
Bill C-45, Part 4, Division 8

The Honourable John Duncan, P.C., M.P., Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Kris Johnson, Senior Director, Lands Modernization

Paul Salembier, General Counsel, Operations and Programs

Organization:

Assembly of First Nations

Back to top