Our organization, Ottawa Riverkeeper, believes that the federal government has an important role to play in supporting our work and helping nonprofit organizations. We are indeed very important partners when it comes to linking the federal government with what is happening at the community level. The federal government should trust us, because we have a relationship with the communities.
When I spoke of support, it isn't just supporting us in our work, but also supporting us financially. The important initiative that I spoke of was funded by the federal government, actually by Environment and Climate Change Canada, but only for three years. This funding was hugely beneficial when we launched the program, but we don't know where to get funding now. We need more long‑term support. Those three years were a good start, but it doesn't help us over the long term.