Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The communities are currently facing many challenges. I took specific note of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and of the report that it tabled. Moreover, I worked for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada in 1989.
Since the report was tabled, how much money and how many human resources were committed to this program? The report from Canada's Auditor General stated that no one managed the program on a full-time basis. How do you rate the progress that has been made? How do you go about measuring the improvements in the communities, if there are any? Tell us when was the last time that the department met with representatives of the aboriginal community, of provincial authorities or of the most seriously-affected communities, and tell us if these issues were raised at that time.