Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like to thank the officials for joining us today as we start what I believe is going to be a very critical and very timely study by this committee.
One quick comment that I do want to make before I head into specific questions is that I feel very fortunate to work very closely with the first nations taxation commission and Manny Jules, and with some of the great work that Tk’emlúps has done. I note that we are trying to move forward in terms of leveraging the assets of lands, but I also note that for some of our financial treatments, GST-HST being one of them, we still have some work to do in terms of how we can encourage development and support.
Again, I'll use the GST-HST as an example. As developers partner with our aboriginal communities, I think that sometimes our financial systems.... Certainly, we've spoken with the finance minister, but I guess question one is, have you been working with those issues and relaying the concerns of the communities? It is brand new. We're treading on new ground in terms of what they're doing and how they're doing it. Are you aware of these concerns? Have you been working towards resolution?