I don't think there's a barrier to get on the list. I think the barrier is that there is a lack of due diligence in confirming the indigeneity of these businesses. Where there is a potential for material gain, we are going to see abuse and fraud. As more attention is being paid to procurement and with setting the 5% procurement threshold, that brings lots of non-indigenous businesses out of the woodwork. It could be putting a red face on a company and seeking to register on this procurement database.
We have a challenge. I've heard my colleagues mention the difficulty in accessing procurement opportunities. You have companies pretending to be red-faced to benefit from the strategy. They have the experience to navigate the system, and it's at our expense. We have a wonderful program that exists on paper, yet the challenge is implementing this and addressing it. How can we address this? I think it's by strengthening the offices regionally, having more contact with boots on the ground, with legitimate indigenous companies that exist. The centralization of this does not allow for that knowledge to exist.
Thank you.