Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's the Department of Justice's view that clause 2.7.1 does address the substantive concerns of the North Slave Metis Alliance. As we understand those concerns, it does. Essentially, 2.7.1(b) provides that if another aboriginal peoples establish an aboriginal right or a treaty right, the Tlicho agreement cannot operate to effect that right. So if any court finds that the Tlicho agreement impacts any other aboriginal rights, any party to the agreement can give notice. The agreement is itself flexible if it is established either through negotiation or through litigation that an aboriginal right of another aboriginal peoples is affected by the Tlicho agreement. There are also provisions in the Tlicho agreement to amend the contours of the Tlicho agreement to make room for that right. Again, in first instance, if the right is established and the Tlicho agreement in any way affects that right, the provision of the Tlicho agreement that affects that right isn't operative to the extent that it offends or somehow denigrates or affects the rights of other aboriginal peoples. Quite considerable care was coming to this arrangement and a lot of attention was given to it.

We could also point out that clause 2.7.1 was considered by the federal Court of Canada in the North Slave Metis Alliance's mitigation. You may recall, the North Slave Metis Alliance, as part of their mitigation, sought an injunction from the court that would prevent the governments of Canada and the GNWT from taking any further steps to conclude the agreements and the federal Court of Canada ruled that it was satisfied that 2.7 adequately addresses the concerns of other aboriginal peoples, including the North Slave Metis because if the North Slave Metis establish aboriginal rights, and it has shown that these aboriginal rights are affected by the Tlicho agreement, then 2.7.1(b) comes into play.