It's a very important point, and I'm happy that you raised it.
I used to be on the board that provides a program for training for first nations in how to do community-based monitoring, but it has been pointed out to me that it's a rather senseless practice, if the funds aren't then made available to have you deliver the monitoring program. I wonder whether you could elaborate a bit more on that.
To be efficient, I'll just put out my second question, because you might want to connect the two. It's my understanding that you want to initiate community-based monitoring. I'm presuming it's for the fishery, the wildlife, the water quality, and possibly air quality, but perhaps also health studies. I'll let you elaborate on that.
My second area of questioning, and I'll leave this to each of the chiefs to speak to, is on the health study. Something I remain puzzled about is that it's my understanding that Health Canada is responsible for helping to finance and support health services for first nations peoples, and yet when issues have been raised, it's the Alberta Cancer Board that has done the study.
Perhaps you can explain to me how that filtered down to a provincial agency. But I want to know whether you have ever been consulted on the methodology, the terms, and so forth for these studies.
Secondly, as the cancer board has said, there need to be follow-up studies on some of the cancer rates. Are you being consulted in those follow-up studies, on methodologies, timing, and so on?