Presentation by the First Nations Summit to the Federal Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs regarding the First Nations Governance Act (Bill C-7)
The First Nations Summit welcomes this opportunity to appear before the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs to provide our views on Bill C-7, the proposed First Nations Governance Act (the FNGA).
This proposal to amend the Indian Act will affect how we as First Nations carry out our day-to-day business and will impact on our ability to move towards our objectives of self-reliance and the exercise of our inherent right of self-government.
The two fundamental issues we wish to raise with you in this presentation are the need to ensure that this initiative does not:
•infringe, abrogate or derogate from our Aboriginal rights and title, including our inherent right of self-government; or
•prejudice or in any way limit treaty negotiations.