Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, although I do not know if the hon. member heard it, I was clear in my speech that those 23,877 members who received status in the initial enrolment will continue to receive Indian status benefits until this process is completed and the appeals process has been exhausted.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Nine and a half hours.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the member's speech. I am a little unclear, so I will ask this carefully. Does he think it is reasonable that 101,000 people would be members of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation? Does he think it is reasonable that 46,000 of them would be received in the last two months and that this should not raise alarm bells?

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, from the outset it was understood by both the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and the federal government that the agreement would apply primarily to people who live in or around the communities named in the 2008 agreement. Not surprisingly, the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and Mi'kmaq residents of the province expressed concern about the credibility of the enrolment process.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, I think it was during the second phase of enrolment, the final 36 months, that it became very clear things were not as they had originally been intended, when we saw a spike of 46,000 applications in the final four months alone of that application process. Certainly, the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and the Mi'kmaq communities themselves raised the concern that this was simply not a realistic number, that this was far outside the intent of the original agreement.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, the short answer to that question is that there was a deadline for all applications to be submitted in a full and complete manner. If individuals had submitted their applications early in the original process, they would have had adequate time to make adjustments, to provide additional information.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question and for his great work as the chair of the aboriginal affairs committee. He is certainly a valuable member of Parliament who brings a great deal of knowledge on this file. As I said in my speech, when we look at the numbers presented here, we had 101,000 applicants when they were initially looking at around 10,000.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, the opposition seems to have a theme today, which I think is insulting to the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. The argument from the opposition is that somehow the government has made a debacle of this thing. This is an agreement that we made with the Federation of Newfoundland Indians.

Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to participate in the debate here today on Bill C-25, an act respecting the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band Order. The proposed legislation would enable the Governor in Council to fully implement the agreements reached between Canada and the Federation of Newfoundland Indians, which provided for the establishment of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band as a band under the Indian Act.

Northwest Territories Devolution Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his speech in support of Bill C-15, which has been a long time coming. I too want to salute Premier Bob McLeod and the Government of the Northwest Territories. We heard from him when I was in Yellowknife with the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

Northwest Territories Devolution Act  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to enter into this debate again. The gallery is full and the House is filling up to hear my intervention. The Premier of the Northwest Territories made it very clear when he appeared before the committee in Yellowknife. He said: We need an efficient and effective regulatory system in the Northwest Territories that protects the public interest, allows us to manage our land and environment, and promotes responsible development.

Northwest Territories Devolution Act  Mr. Speaker, I will not attempt to match the entertainment value of that speech with my question. The Northwest Territories chamber of mines and the Government of Northwest Territories released their “Northwest Territories Mineral Development Strategy”, in which they recognize the importance of regulatory improvement.

Northwest Territories Devolution Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate that northerner from Surrey North for his comments. However, there seemed to be a stunning lack of knowledge on the file, with his speech. The member for Western Arctic has told us to slow down, the Leader of the Opposition said to take it easy, and this member asked why we did not do it the first day we took office, that we should have just rammed it through.

Northwest Territories Devolution Act  Mr. Speaker, while I do not agree with much of what the member for Western Arctic said, I appreciate his passion. He mentioned that there will be a change in government. I think there may be a change in the member for Western Arctic in a year and a half, but we will get on to the question that he talked about.

Northwest Territories Devolution Act  Mr. Speaker, I hope the member would want to correct the record in her answer. Indeed, the government did accept two NDP amendments at committee. Her amendments, which she claimed were not accepted, were out of order. She failed to bring them forward at this stage, where they would have been in order.