Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank you for coming before the committee with some very well-prepared documents. Unlike Mr. Lemay, I probably have more questions than you have time for.
Part of it is that you have identified a real challenge in that this is a fundamental issue of rights and title. As well, there is the fact that this particular piece of legislation doesn't recognize the differences in process from coast to coast to coast, whether they are under a proclamation of 1763 or the numbered treaties. As I told some of you this morning, I come from a province in which, largely, there are no treaties, and that's presenting challenges.
In your presentations there were a couple of points I want to touch on. As we know, this legislation doesn't define a number of areas. For example, clause 16 talks about things like a reasonable minimum standard for a claim to come forward, but that is not defined in the legislation. The transitional pieces are not defined in such a way that there's any assurance it will actually do away with the specific claims backlog.
Chief Montour touched on this verbal assurance that a negotiation that is in process will continue. Last week the Okanagan band talked about a letter of comfort they received, which poorly defined how their additions to reserve process would go forward. The political agreement itself is vague and ill defined.
I wonder if you could offer some suggestions. One of the things Kahnawake identified was a beefed-up mediation process, a negotiation process, an alternative dispute resolution process. A number of other witnesses have come forward with the same suggestion as a way to move this forward in a more respectful way. I wonder if you could comment, first of all, on how some of the vagaries of this legislation could be locked down, and on negotiation, mediation, or alternative dispute resolution as another option.