Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here this evening.
We appreciate the opportunity to present to this committee on the study.
We ask you to urgently address systemic problems relating to food, nutrition and the environment affecting first nations, and to do so in a manner that supports first nations-led leadership and solutions.
We held a workshop in Ottawa in November 2019 to review the results of this study, which we call FNFNES. Together with the 280 workshop participants, including leaders and technical staff of first nations governments and representatives of 70 of the 92 participating first nations, we developed a set of recommendations. The document “Key Findings and Recommendations for Decision-Makers” is included in the package that was provided to you.
The following recommendations are related to the issue of food security, our main concern this evening. I would like to highlight five recommendations:
First, support communities to make their own informed decisions regarding food security and food sovereignty.
Second, promote the consumption of traditional foods.
Third, incorporate a holistic approach that involves addressing social issues and socio-economic factors, such as poverty, unemployment and education, that contribute to food insecurity.
Fourth, support communities to increase their reliance on traditional food systems and build resilience against threats to food security or sovereignty, including threats such as pandemics—we know what we're talking about there—and extreme climate events or disasters, such as flooding, droughts and wildfires.
Finally, fifth, ensure good drinking water quality and trust in the safety of public water systems.
That's the end of our presentation this evening. I turn it back to you, Mr. Chair.