Thank you very much.
Thank you for raising Sen̓áḵw, the Kitsilano lands. These were lands that were taken from us that were subject to a specific claims lawsuit as part of the CP Rail right-of-way that we eventually got back because of the Supreme Court of Canada Osoyoos decision on the residual interest.
Our community members were put on a barge. The village was burned to the ground, and we were shipped up to the Squamish Valley. Having that land back and giving us the opportunity to develop it in co-operation with the City of Vancouver or Metro Vancouver to develop rental housing, something desperately needed in downtown Vancouver...and also being in a position where we could allot a certain number of those units back to our Squamish membership, to the point where there will be sufficient units that, on the basis of the average family size in Squamish, it will become the second-most populated reserve in the Squamish Nation.
That is restitution. That is bringing back our people to the lands that we knew, to being in a position where we've righted a wrong, in our view, and to being in a position where we're also responding with economic activity that benefits the entire Lower Mainland and provides accommodation to those who previously might not have been able to get it.
In my view, this is one of the more positive outcomes in an urban setting of “land back” that can and should be examined as a positive. Land back shouldn't be feared. First nations, and there are many across the country that can replicate what Squamish Nation has done, can make a significant contribution to local communities by having the opportunity and removing the impediments to have their lands developed.
These lands would not have been developed as easily as they have been without the support of CMHC. That should also be recognized. The need to get access to capital is a significant component of what's needed. When I talk about how just giving the land back is not enough, it's because getting the land back without jurisdiction and access to capital is a challenge.