Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We live in a strange world. There are many aspects of our lives that are simply not fair, but I'd like to think our government is ending any unfairness it is responsible for. This is especially important where our elders are being treated unfairly, as they are when they have to pay to lease for our government's Commissioner's lands.
Dene people used to live on the land in small villages along the Deh Cho or inland lakes where the hunting and fishing was good. When residential schools were built, the federal government and RCMP forced children to go to school in the communities. Houses were built by the federal government so that families could be closer to their children when they were at the mission school.
Today, some elders are living on the same land they had been living on since the 1960s. Of course, these elders are living on the fixed income from the old-age pension. They have to live very frugally or they won't have enough money for their basics of life. They are grateful when their families and friends' families bring them food from the land. These elders' homes are on Dene land that has somehow become Commissioner's lands, and the elders are required to pay to lease it. I know some elders who owe as much as $5,000. It is pitiful that our government hounds our elders to pay to occupy their own lands, Mr. Speaker, just pitiful.
No, it is worse than pitiful. It is unfair and oppressive and a bad hangover from deeply colonialist policies. Some of these elders helped document traditional trails and land use to advance the Deh Cho process. The children of some of those elders have laboured for decades to advance that process.
In discussing the current budget, the Minister of Lands has congratulated himself for lowering the costs of leasing Commissioner's lands. I suppose it is a humble improvement, but I'm saying for the record today that our elders should not have to pay to lease land they have always lived on or land under the cabins they may live in from time to time. I hope the Minister will do something about it and bring a little fairness to our land. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.