Natural Resources committee  I think there is a lot of guidance to be drawn from international standards, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the interpretations that exist out there through bodies like the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples.

Natural Resources committee  There is definitely a significant gap in the enforcement of these guidelines. This is one of the problems we see around the world. We often have good laws but weak institutions for upholding those laws. The problem is multiplied when you have indigenous peoples who are the subject of so much racism and discrimination who are at such a great disadvantage in accessing legal mechanisms as this problem plays out over and over again.

Natural Resources committee  As Chief Laboucan-Avirom said, we lack perfect international practices. The practice is more often a negative one than a positive one. But I think you're absolutely right. The earlier the engagement, the better, on all kinds of levels. For one thing, the earlier the engagement can occur, the more likely it's possible to negotiate the kinds of arrangements that were talked about, negotiations where there is genuine mutual benefit, where there is the possibility to walk that line that ensures access to the benefits of development without sacrificing the cultural values, the practices and the traditions.

Natural Resources committee  Very much so.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Algonquin people on whose territory we have the privilege of meeting today. I would like to thank the members of the committee for this opportunity to come to speak to you. I would also like to express my appreciation for the opportunity to share the table with Chief Laboucan-Avirom.

Canadian Heritage committee  We certainly do see it positively at a high level. We do not have the expertise of other organizations, and I'm not in a position to speak for indigenous peoples themselves, obviously, so there's a level of detail around the bill where we would rely on the judgment of others. The essential framework, as we heard from the president, the recognition in law of a legislative framework for the protection and the promotion of indigenous languages, the recognition that this is a matter of human rights, we see at a high level to be a very positive development.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you. I would like to acknowledge the Algonquin people, on whose lands we have the privilege of meeting, and I would also like to thank the members of the standing committee for this opportunity to appear before you. As the chair said, my name is Craig Benjamin. I'm a member of the staff of Amnesty International Canada, where I coordinate the organization's program of work to promote the human rights of first nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I fully agree. Declarations do have legal effect. In my presentation I gave examples of the declaration being used in courts, tribunals, and quasi-judicial bodies. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples already does have legal effect in Canada. All declarations do, and I would suggest that this one in particular, because of its history, has a particular moral force and a particular authority that's very significant.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll add one thing, which picks up on the Grand Chief's point about this long history of indigenous peoples bearing the burden of having to constantly prove their rights through these long and onerous processes. The declaration not only gives us an enormous body of substance developed by some of the best minds on indigenous rights in the world, but it also does away with the isolation of indigenous rights into this unique separate category and brings that into a larger world of human rights.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Good afternoon. My name is Craig Benjamin. I am here on behalf of Amnesty International. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Algonquin people, whose traditional territory we have the privilege of meeting on today. I'd like to thank the committee for this opportunity to speak with you today on such an important subject, one about which I feel very strongly.