Thank you, Madam Chair.
First, I would like to thank you for welcoming us and allowing us to meet with you this morning. This is very important for us. I would especially like to thank you for letting me speak my own language. I'm sure you'll understand that I want to keep it and, therefore, it is important for me to continue speaking it.
I am very moved by everything you've said. What we are currently doing in various regions of Canada is very important.
Suzanne, you said earlier that you are 50 years old and that it is absolutely necessary to pass on to the younger generation the courage to carry on, in order to rise above the effects of colonization. I understand, but I wonder how it can be done, since the damage has been ingrained in the human beings that you are for hundreds of years. Money, the courage that you all have and ideas alone cannot fix everything. So, how should we proceed?
Anita touched on this. I met with some people yesterday and realized that there is a lot of ignorance among non-aboriginals about who you are. The people we met with yesterday told us that 54% of the population in Prince Albert is aboriginal and, therefore, that 20% of the population financially supports everyone else. They did not know that aboriginals who live outside aboriginal communities pay taxes like everyone else.
What do we need to do to get people to understand who you are? How can we build bridges between aboriginals and non-aboriginals, break the taboos and eliminate prejudice and racism? Are you also victims of racism here, in Winnipeg, when you do business with social services and the police? What do we need to do to stop this?
I was moved by a woman named Laurie Odjick, the mother of a young girl who went missing in Gatineau. She touched my heart, and we became friends. Since then, I no longer see things the same way. But who do you need to move so that people understand? How do we do that?
The federal government can indeed give money, but it's not enough. Out of every dollar the government provides, how much really ends up in your pocket? How much? Leslie, could you tell me if it's 25¢, for example? When the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs decides to provide funding, how much money is actually given to programs? Do you know?