Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to our guests.
It really hits home for me when you talk about distinctions-based funding. You kind of answered my questions on the principles of what you're seeking. Indigenous people are first nations, Métis and Inuit. Getting a look under the hood of government and reading the departmental plans and all the things that they do was something I never got to do as a chief, but now I have to as a member of Parliament and the shadow minister for ISC.
I was surprised to learn that there are 8,000 employees and 22,000 administered programs across 600-plus first nations, Inuit and Métis communities. That is purely a broken system that is inefficient. I hear the communities when they say they want distinctions-based funding, because what I have seen in my first year here is that it's a churning of mishmash and non-statute-based funding, and we're talking about the rights, when it comes to section 35, of these communities.
President Obed, you said you struggled for 10 years when it came to distinctions-based funding. Is that correct? Is that how long you've been in negotiations with the current government?