My question is for the Senate government leader.

Senator Gold, this year, First Nations across the country applied for funding to research and develop 937 specific claims against the federal government — 327 applications were denied due to significant funding shortfalls. The $12 million allocated per year is woefully and increasingly insufficient. In July, research directors wrote a letter to Minister Miller, the then‑Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Forty endorsement letters — representing hundreds of First Nations across Canada — called for increased funding; none were responded to. The fund was recently renewed for two years at the same amount. While discussions are under way to improve the claims resolution process, this does not address the barriers that First Nations face at the claims research stage. This is an access‑to‑justice issue.

My question is this: Given that the fund has been oversubscribed for the past three years, will your government commit to reconciliation by action — by increasing the specific claims research funding — so that all First Nations can have access to the resolution process in a timely manner?

Thank you, Senator Gold. I understand that work is under way to set up a co-developed, independent specific claims resolution process. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan — released last year — called for the inclusion of an independent senator for the resolution of specific claims. Will your government honour this commitment, and can you advise on a timeline for its implementation? Thank you.