THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

EVIDENCE

OTTAWA, Tuesday, April 18, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples met with videoconference this day at 9 a.m. [ET] to examine the federal government’s constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and any other subject concerning Indigenous Peoples; and, in camera, for the consideration of a draft report.

Senator Brian Francis (Chair) in the chair.

[English]

The Chair: I would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which gather is the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation, and is now home to many other First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples from across Turtle Island.

I am Mi’kmaw Senator Brian Francis from Epekwitk, also known as Prince Edward Island, and I am the Chair of the Committee on Indigenous peoples. I will now ask committee members in attendance to introduce themselves by stating their names and province or territory.

Senator Arnot: David Arnot, senator from Saskatchewan. I live in Treaty 6 territory.

Senator Hartling: Nancy Hartling from New Brunswick, and I live on Mi’kmaq territory.

Senator Tannas: Scott Tannas from Alberta.

Senator Sorensen: Karen Sorensen from Alberta, Treaty 7, Banff.

Senator Audette: Michèle Audette, Quebec.

Senator Greenwood: Margo Greenwood, British Columbia, Treaty 6 territory — the best of Treaty 6 territory.

Senator Coyle: Mary Coyle, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Mi’kma’ki.

The Chair: Today we intended to continue our study into the effectiveness of the Canadian human rights framework in the promotion, protection and realization of the rights of Indigenous peoples.

However, our scheduled witness was unable to join us at the last moment and we will work to reschedule them into a future meeting. The next item on our agenda today is the draft budget related to the 2023 edition of the Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders event. The clerk circulated a draft budget to you prior to the meeting. You had also received a document outlining the details of each item.

If approved today, the next steps would be to bring it to the Subcommittee on Senate Estimates and Committee Budgets and the Standing Committee of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration for their approval and, if approved there, on to the Senate.

While this budget does need to be passed in public, if we wish to discuss the items proposed, I would like to suggest that we do so briefly in camera.

We will proceed in camera.

(The committee continued in camera.)

(The committee resumed in public.)

The Chair: Honourable senators, the meeting has now resumed in public. Is it agreed:

That the following budget application (Examine the constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, be approved for submission to the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chair: Carried.

The committee will now continue in camera to discuss our draft report.

(The committee continued in camera.)