Minister, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP, incorporates a constitutional duty to consult Indigenous people when you consider measures that might adversely impact the potential for established Aboriginal or treaty rights.

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network said they weren’t invited to a House committee when studying this bill, despite their request to do so. I can only assume from that, minister, that they were not consulted.

Minister, are you upset about your government’s failure to consult? Did you consult the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network before you introduced this bill? And if not, why not?

Again, senator, I believe the question was previously posed by your colleague, and it was in relation to —

It was not.

— the appearance of APTN at a committee meeting at which —

That’s not my question, minister.

Your Honour, if the question is whether APTN should have been invited or not to a committee meeting, and whether that —

Mr. Minister —

Again, if the question is whether the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network was invited to a committee meeting, and whether that, in turn, does or does not constitute consultations for purposes of a constitutional test, I would submit to you that the committee is independent, and it is something that is entirely within their purview; nor is the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations in any place to command committee members to ask a television network to appear at a committee meeting.