Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our MP, one of the best ones we've had.
I want to state very clearly that the direct funding that has now happened to help people go on the land is very important. We clearly heard from Premier Cochrane that for direct funding to the first nations, the indigenous people, the territorial government is willing to get out of the way and that we have a direct relationship with the federal government. Now the people who get this direct funding determine on their own how that funding is going to be used for the purpose of requesting that funding. That has alleviated a lot of confusion and stress.
The old way of doing things is no longer applicable due to COVID-19. We certainly want to impress upon the federal government, through financial committee meetings such as these and others, that we want to start this new relationship. It is working, and people are really appreciating it. The chiefs know it's a start. As National Chief Perry Bellegarde said, we as first nations know it's a start, and we need to continue supporting this.
It's springtime here in the north. People are now on the land. I've been getting calls from all over the nation. People really appreciate that. We also know there are certain segments of our knowledge keepers, known as the elders, who would love to go but aren't able to as there are many health conditions in our communities.
One of the things that we really wanted to stress is the engagement of the Canadian Rangers to ensure that the people are well fed with on-the-land food, that wood is cut for them and that they're being taken care of. The survey that the Dene Nation did clearly indicates that we in the north are the most vulnerable, but we're also the most powerful ones when we're on the land, so we want to thank whoever in Ottawa helps us continue this process here to really have the protection of—