I'll answer that one. Being a band member, I've applied numerous times. I have a stack of requests from me and other band members, and I've never had a response on one of my requests.
Sometimes I went to Aboriginal Affairs. Sometimes they were helpful. They gave it to me if they had it, but I had to go through the process of proving I was a band member and that I had requested it from the band first.
From there I would go to Aboriginal Affairs in Winnipeg. It takes time and effort, and sometimes they gave it to me if they were allowed, and other times I was told to send my information away to Ottawa. That's a long process. By the time I got information back, sometimes I'd forgotten that I requested it. Often by the time I got it back it was irrelevant.