Senator Lankin: Thank you very much. I appreciate the intent of what you’re trying to do and I’m generally supportive. The details and the consequences are always going to be important, and I know that would be worked on at committee and there are a number of things that may come forward.

I have a couple of questions. I’ll put them all out there so that it’s all in one question. These follow on the questions that have been asked.

First, every province and the First Nations within those provinces have different arrangements at the current time. You seem to be familiar with Saskatchewan; I’m very familiar with Ontario. Like Saskatchewan, the fact is that some of the general revenues that are raised in non-Indigenous casinos are pooled to go back to other First Nations. That’s not something the province has to do, and it’s something that could change as we go forward. I wonder if you’ve looked at that.

Second, has your research brought together the materials about the different schemes that are in place in different provinces? I think it’s important to take a look at that and what the history is. I understand from a quick conversation — I may have this wrong — that Alberta, for example, used to have a pooled fund, the Wild Rose Foundation, I think it was, that was to benefit First Nations in Alberta, and that was done away with by the province. So the action of the provinces, which have often been focused on wanting to see the federal government take its full responsibility with respect to First Nations, are at risk of walking away.

The second thing is that when I was on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation board, I chaired the social responsibility committee, which was about responsible gambling as well as all of the other social responsibility items, and we won awards many years in a row for the program around safe gambling and prevention for people who were at risk. Does your bill make reference to that being built into the national framework as well?

Hon. Frances Lankin: Senator Tannas, will you take another question?