I can answer that. I am involved with AAROM here locally for the Mi’kmaq.
The money supplied to our AAROM is vastly insufficient. It really covers only our operational costs and the extensive reporting requirements brought down from DFO. The people we do have staffed in our AAROM literally spend almost 365 days a year writing reports for the money we receive. That money cannot be put towards projects, so then we have to go and seek alternate funding through the aboriginal fund for species at risk, the habitat stewardship program, and stuff like that, to get done the research that we want.
Now, I don't think that was the intention of the AAROM program going in, but there is definitely a need for increased, reliable funding that we don't have to apply for year in and year out, in hopes that we are going to get that small piece of the pie that is then allocated to us through these various programs. Consistent funding in that area would definitely help establish these programs, which could go on reliably year after year so that we don't have to worry about the funding drying up because they can't fund it multiple years. Afterwards they look at you and say, “Well, you've done this project for three consecutive years. We can't fund it anymore, because you need to do something else.”
Thank you.