Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, the member is quite correct. As we heard through testimony from officials and from the minister, it would be the enrolment committee making the determinations, going through all of the applications and applying the same criteria to all of them. It would be the one making the decisions as to who is or who is not on the founding members list, and the Governor in Council would simply affirm those decisions.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise before the House to explain the necessity of Bill C-25, the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation act. The genesis of this issue dates back to a historical oversight at the time Newfoundland joined Confederation that left Mi'kmaq residents on the island of Newfoundland outside of the Indian Act.

First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act  Mr. Speaker, yes, we do believe that education is a priority. That is why, unlike the Liberal government that did nothing on the file for 13 years, our government is taking action and is going to deliver the first nations control of first nations education act, because that is what first nations students on reserve deserve.

First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act  Mr. Speaker, of course there were concerns raised by the AFN to the first draft of the legislation that was put out. It came forward with five conditions for success. One of those was to enable first nations control of first nations education act. I talked extensively in my speech about the joint council of education professionals.

First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have this opportunity to rise and voice my support for Bill C-33, the first nations control of first nations education act. I have to say I am disappointed that the opposition members have indicated that they will not support this bill. It is an important initiative, and a lot of work has gone into it with first nations, precisely as we have said.

First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act  Mr. Speaker, like the hon. member, I share her thoughts and prayers for the victims of the tragedy in Nanaimo today. I know that is in her area. Certainly our thoughts are with everyone involved in that situation. I am disappointed that the hon. member and her party are choosing to oppose this legislation.

First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act  Mr. Speaker, the minister outlined a bit of the unprecedented level of consultation and collaboration with first nations that came with the development of the bill. A draft piece of legislation was discussed last fall, and it was after that draft that we saw the letter from the National Chief and the resolution of the Chiefs-in-Assembly.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, our government is actively working to improve the life conditions of first nations children on reserve. Funding under the first nations child and family services program is provided according to several funding models across the country. Each model provides for the delivery of protection and prevention services to improve the safety and well-being of first nations children on reserve.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address the question from the hon. member for Edmonton—Strathcona. The health, safety, and well-being of all children, including first nation children, is a priority for our government. The loss of a child is very tragic in any circumstances, and is even more alarming when a child has died while in protective care.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development in relation to Bill C-25, An Act respecting the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band Order. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of various reports. They include the Maa-nulth First Nations final agreement implementation report, 2011-2012; the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 annual reports of the Yukon land claims and self-government agreements; the Westbank First Nation self-government agreement and annual report on implementation, 2010-2011; and the 2011-2012 Tsawwassen First Nation annual implementation report.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the member specifically about clause 4 of the bill. It is a four-clause bill and is technical in nature, so I know he will have an opportunity to get to it rather quickly. There have been some concerns raised when people hear that there is a limiting of liability.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, one of the things we have learned as we have debated this bill is that there is a need for fairness for all applicants, whether they applied early on in the process or they were part of the 46,000 people who applied in the last three months of the process. That brought the total number up to 101,000 applicants, who represent about 11% of the number of registered Indians in Canada.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Nanaimo—Cowichan for her speech. This is the first time in the House that I have been able to express my regret that she will not be seeking re-election after the next election. I have always appreciated her reasonable approach, which we saw again in her speech.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, there was some confusion between two members of the NDP the last time we debated this issue. The member for St. John's East was very clear that he expected the criteria to apply to all 101,000 applicants, whereas the member for Western Arctic made it clear that he thought the 23,877 members who had already received Indian status should be protected and should not be subject to the same criteria as the others who applied later.