Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Alty, thank you for joining us.
Your government announced $14 million in the budget to restructure the additions to reserve policy. Obviously, this includes the remainder of the $43 million in funding over four years announced in 2021. I'm saying this because it seems that a great deal of this budget consists of recycled revenue rather than new money.
In my region, the Long Point and Wolf Lake first nations still don't have reserve lands. Despite the good will, no progress has been made in four years of negotiations with your department. I feel strongly about this key issue. The lack of land bases directly affects the population, which will suffer as a result.
Why, in 2025, are these communities still not recognized by Ottawa?