Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here with us today, for quite some time. Obviously, it's a very important discussion. We appreciate your time on this.
I want to go to the part of the report that states:
The department's preparedness and mitigation programs are proposal-based. This approach allows First Nations to identify the activities that they believe are the most impactful. However, this approach does not ensure that First Nations at the highest risk of experiencing emergencies receive funding, since not all First Nations communities have the capacity to apply for funding.
That last line around not all communities having “the capacity to apply for funding” is, I think, a very important point. It's something we see in my area in Kenora. I have spoken with the minister about this privately as well. There isn't only the capacity aspect. Oftentimes we find there are many communities and community leaders who aren't aware of all the programs available.
I'm wondering whether you can provide information on what sorts of outreach opportunities and capacity-building exercises the department is doing to ensure communities are aware of all the programs available to them.