I call the meeting to order.
This is our second meeting. Pursuant to Standing Order 83(1), we are doing pre-budget consultations for budget 2016.
First of all, welcome, witnesses. I definitely want to thank you for putting your submissions together quickly. I know we're under a very, very tight time frame, and I'm sure that has made it difficult for people to get their pre-budget submissions together. We have a very intense week of hearings, with somewhere between 84 and 90 witnesses.
To begin, I would mention to the committee—and I've talked to people who are on the steering committee about it—that we expected the minister to be here this Thursday. He can't attend, so, along with the Department of Finance, he will make his presentation next Tuesday. This means we can handle about six to eight more witnesses in the minister's slot this Thursday, so the steering committee will be meeting at eight o'clock tonight to make those decisions.
With that, I'll turn to the first witnesses.
From the Assembly of First Nations, we have Peter Dinsdale and Dale LeClair.
Go ahead.