Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all of you for your presentations.
I'd like to be able to put questions to each and every one of you, but I only have five minutes. I will speak to Chief Picard. I also want to welcome Chief Traverse to the committee.
One thing really surprised me. I knew that the transfer increase ceiling was 2%, but I just realized that that is the way it has been for 18 years. In your brief, you did specify that during the same period, the average transfer increase from Ottawa to the provinces and the territories was 6%. You also estimated that since 1996 the shortfall caused by that ceiling was of $3 billion. Did you calculate that $3 billion using the cost of living increase, or does it also reflect population growth in aboriginal communities?