Colleagues, I will call this 33rd meeting of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to order. We are continuing our study as it relates to land use and sustainable economic development for first nations communities.
Colleagues, before we get started, there are a couple of things I want to do. I want to welcome Jean Crowder to our committee. This is the fist time we've met as a committee in this capacity here on the Hill since your appointment, Jean, so congratulations and welcome back to the committee. I think you and I served some six years ago on this committee together. I do want to thank you for joining us, and I look forward to the next while that we spend together on this committee.
We are back now, colleagues. On behalf of those of us who travelled to eastern Canada, I can report that we had a successful trip, and it was a good opportunity for us to learn a whole host of things, many of which we intend to report to those of you who didn't travel with us. We look forward to having that discussion, and seeing that discussion continue as we move into the second leg of travel next week. If you have questions with regard to the travel, there will be some information that will continue to flow over the next week as we make preparations. If people have questions, feel free to ask me, the clerk, or our logistics officer as well. I know your staff have that contact information.
Moving on, colleagues, we have two witnesses before our committee today. We have Brian Hardlotte, the vice-chief from the Prince Albert Grand Council.
We want to thank you for travelling to Ottawa to testify before our committee today. Thank you so much. We look forward to hearing your opening statement.
We also want to thank Mr. Warren Johnson for joining us as well.
We know that you have some information that you want to share with our committee, and we want to thank you for coming as well.
We're going to turn it over to you both now. We'll start with the vice-chief, and then we'll move to Mr. Johnson. After that we will start the rounds of questioning.
Vice-Chief, we'll turn to you now for your opening statement.