Thank you very much, Ms. Block.
Again, just to clarify, yes, we approved a budget of $16,300 for our Navigation Protection Act study. We spent $1,910.76 for video conferences, $1,518.81 for travel, and $128.85 for committee meals, for a total amount of $3,558.42.
To reiterate, the committee only paid reasonable travel costs incurred by the witnesses. We did not pay any group, individual, or community to compile or research their testimony. When we ask groups to give us comments and testimony, they are certainly free to submit whatever they choose. How ever they went about preparing that is totally and entirely up to them.
The participant funding program has been around for many governments and is used often. As an example, it is used for FCM or other areas when the department is looking for comments on legislation and so on. It is something that has been around.
On the first nations in particular, the reason we're doing this review ourselves—and the other two committees—is because of the fact that the indigenous community and the Senate report refer to the fact that there was insufficient opportunity for the indigenous communities to be able to participate and to comment. They did not have the resources in many ways to do that.
We have Mr. Fraser first, then Mr. Badawey.