The First Nations' Emergency Services Society has expertise in leading responses in first nations communities. I had an opportunity to visit FNESS last year and meet with some of the leaders of the organization. Out of that disjointed beginning came a real willingness by the Province of British Columbia to sit down with indigenous leaders, with FNESS, to plan a much better way to deal with future emergencies.
This multilateral agreement means that first nations people are at the table, making decisions, not receiving those decisions at the very end or being deputized to do certain things in first nations. Having first nations at the table, planning how a province, a community or a region will respond, I think, is the only way forward.
There are other really positive developments in Manitoba, for example. We're seeing some other positive responses in other provinces, but there are still some provinces that are very resistant to doing this collaborative work. I would say that it is to everybody's benefit when we work together. Indeed, whether you are first nations living in Quebec or you're non-first nations living in Quebec, you're still a Quebec resident and you're a first nations person, and you're a Canadian citizen who is entitled to a certain level of service.
We have to do better in working together. I think we'll all do much better as communities when we do.