Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We're a small organization trying to fulfill a mandate for capacity-building, so we do need more funding in our organization to be able to do that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Absolutely, yes. Joe, did you want to add...?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, one area to which more attention has to be paid is land-use planning. That's critical.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  First of all, Carolyn, you are welcome to come to our national gatherings, and I invite everyone. They are very informative and speak to a lot of issues and capacity. We'd like to envision more capacity, to broaden our certification program. Again, fiscal restraints prevent us from doing that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  For other challenges, I'm going to look to my colleagues to speak about that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We just got it this year, for two years. We're still ironing out the glitches of that process, but there's an intent to have at least the two years. This is the first year.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thanks, Linda. Is there anything you want to add to that? I know that Aaron is operating under the First Nations Land Management Act.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, our understanding is that the Lands Advisory Board is tasked with the responsibility to build capacity under the framework. We do parts of it because our members are under that land regime. That's why we have the level one training with the University of Saskatchewan. Our technical is specific to the Indian Act.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, we haven't reached that far yet. In the early days, we sat on committees with the planners, but we want to be able to reach out, because we find that's important.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In terms of our organization and the land advisory board, we're two separate entities. There are, however, members under our organization who are with the land advisory board and who manage their land under that. The land advisory board is legislated to manage land under sectoral self-government.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We have a really good, productive working relationship with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, but our mandate and work plan are established by our members. Then we seek funding from Aboriginal Affairs for that support. Generally their mandate in terms of land is pretty much the same as ours, to improve the capacity for—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It's customary when we speak in a traditional territory to acknowledge that. Before we begin I would like to honour and acknowledge the traditional territory of the Algonquin people. We would also offer our medicine: the sweet grass, the sage, cedar, and tobacco. We hope that the spirit of our ancestors as well as the creator are with us in our presentation and that we have a productive meeting.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We would like to thank the standing committee for the invitation to speak today. We look upon this as an opportunity to promote awareness of raising professional standards in first nations lands management as well as to draw attention to the need for good lands governance to sustain economic development.