Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Aboriginal Peoples
Issue 24 - Fifth and Sixth Reports
Tuesday, October 7, 2003
The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples has the honour to present its
FIFTH REPORT
Your Committee, to which was again referred Bill C-6, An Act to establish the Canadian Centre for the Independent Resolution of First Nations Specific Claims to provide for the filing, negotiation and resolution of specific claims and to make related amendments to other Acts, in obedience to its Order of Reference dated Thursday, September 25, 2003, has examined the said Bill and now reports the same without further amendment.
Your Committee also made certain observations, which are appended to this report.
Respectfully submitted,
THELMA J. CHALIFOUX
Chair
OBSERVATIONS
to the Fifth Report of the Standing Senate
Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
Your Committee heard from a number of witnesses representing Government, First Nations, and the legal community.
Your Committee has come to the conclusion that the issues raised in R. v. Powley require further analysis by both government and Métis organizations. However, the majority of your Committee sees no need to delay passage of Bill C-6 while this analysis is ongoing. Instead, your Committee urges the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians to bring forward a proposal to deal, in legislative terms, with the Powley decision as soon as possible.
It should be noted that a minority of your Committee believed that consideration of the bill should be suspended for a period of six months to allow the fullness of time to more appropriately measure the impact of the Powley decision on Bill C-6.
Thursday, October 30, 2003
The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples has the honour to table its
SIXTH REPORT
Your Committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Tuesday, October 29, 2002, to examine and report upon issues affecting urban Aboriginal youth in Canada, now tables its final report entitled "Urban Aboriginal Youth — An Action Plan for Change."
Respectfully submitted,
THELMA J. CHALIFOUX
Chair