I'll have a go at this.
You would appreciate, however, that NTI doesn't have an international mandate. The Inuit have given the international mandate to the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. I think you heard from the president of ICC Canada on the phone in one of your earlier sessions.
However, as some members of the committee know, I have done a great deal of circumpolar and international work, so I'll briefly try to give you a sense on this question.
Ever since the Arctic Council was founded in 1996, the issue of funding the permanent participants has been a live issue. The Government of Canada has been more helpful in this regard than most of the other states. This has to be said and has to be noted. The Department of Foreign Affairs has provided funding. Currently, it's about $125,000 a year to the three Canadian-based permanent participants. However, that is a drop in the ocean if they are to be efficient, effective, and do things.
A group of Canadian and American foundations recently funded a consultant, Mr. Bernard Funston, who also happens to be the chair of the Canadian Polar Commission, to prepare a report and suggestions regarding increased capacity building and funding for not just the Canadian permanent participants but all of them. I would hope the committee might have a look at that report and support the principles that are included within it.
I think the Government of Canada has yet to decide whether it is going to increase its support to the PPs. Certainly, from an NTI perspective, I think we would very much support that.