All of the targets we've set are achievable, ... We're driving this process and we're forcing government to respond to our plan. |
Any suggestion that one supports the objectives and the targets but not the approximately $5 billion allocated to these targets is of great concern to us because we won't be able to meet the targets without money. |
Canada has a Third World in its front yard and back alleys, |
Canada has a Third World in its front yard and back alleys. That is a national tragedy and an international embarrassment. |
decades in time, innumerable events and countless injuries to First Nations individuals and communities. |
I know there are pessimists and cynics who think this process will fail. I disagree. |
It highlighted the extreme circumstances that many of our communities live in - poor drinking water, poor health care, poor housing, poor schools, no recreational facilities, high unemployment. |
It is an agreement for the ages, |
It is clear to us that we have strengthened our hand considerably and that governments are going to have to invite us to the table to negotiate the kind of changes that we need for our people. |
It needs to be addressed immediately. We can't afford to wait, |
It's a wonderful day, ... I know that every moment has been worthwhile. Justice has prevailed. |
It's been suggested that it will be a law of general applications with some exclusions. |
Next year is going to be an extremely busy time for us. It's going to be a huge undertaking. |
No one wanted to pull the plug before. That tells me they are listening and they see us as an important issue. |
Our position is that it must be implemented as is. It's a very complex agreement. A lot of detail. Very delicate proposition and any tinkering with the proposed compensation package would cause it to unravel. And that's a view held very clearly by our experts who were involved in the negotiations. |