Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the participation of the minister of mtate in the debate today.
I have a question for her specifically about the pine beetle problem in British Columbia as it affects first nations communities.
The First Nations Forestry Council has been very clear that funding has not flowed to assist first nations communities in British Columbia affected by the pine beetle infestation. Now they are talking about 103 endangered first nations communities in British Columbia, endangered not just because of the economic devastation of the pine beetle but also endangered because of the possibility of forest fires.
The money was promised for pine beetle infestation work but that money has not flowed. The first nations have an agreement with the provincial government to get some of that money but unfortunately it has not flowed to the provincial government so therefore none of it has gone to first nations.
In prebudget consultations they requested direct funding to first nations communities. They were looking for $20 million per year for three years to address the environmental dangers created by the pine beetle infestation, including forest fire dangers, and they were also looking for $5 million per year to assist with economic development in those 103 endangered communities.
Can the minister of state tell us if that request has been met specifically by this budget and if there is an expedited way to ensure that the money flows to these endangered communities?