Thank you, Chair.
Thank you for being here as witnesses. I'm sorry that those who are virtual can't participate. This is an important discussion we're having.
Mr. Obed, you spoke about the vastness from the far north to here on the southern border, let's call it, of economic disparity as well, consequently, and hence the whole purpose of trying to put forward a procurement strategy that engages, promotes and enables greater success for indigenous people. I'm not going to get into how you define who is indigenous or not. I think you've clearly stated that you have a sense of what it should be, in your mind. I'm looking at what has happened in the past where under previous governments there was very little procurement and engagement in strategic initiatives to promote indigenous businesses.
That has been happening now. It may be that there's a lack of consistency in terms of how it is defined, given what we're trying to achieve, but we are achieving more. I appreciate your talking about enforcement, because then it begs the question of who should be the enforcer. On the one hand, you don't want government determining who should be indigenous, and yet on the other hand, you want the government to enforce the indigenous aspects of procurement. We have to be sensitive about how we proceed in a way that facilitates a collaborative engagement with members of the communities. When I consider where it's been to where it's going, I'm encouraged by it. Can we do better? Absolutely.
Can you give us a sense, then, of your engagement with government when it comes to this matter versus the private sector? Are you involved in private sector procurement? I know you're concerned about other RFPs or other bids that may or may not include members of the indigenous community, and we need to protect that. At the same time, you want to bid on contracts with the private sector who are not indigenous specifically.
Can you comment on that?