Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, you're right. They have a significant advantage because of the opportunities they've taken with the development of hydro in the settlements in their region. Often we take people from the south who have never been to first nations--they've heard all the details about poor first nations communities, poor infrastructure, poor education, and all the rest of it--and when we've gone to Cree communities, they've said that every street is paved, every house is new, every driveway has a vehicle, people are working, and what is the situation here?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  This is a directive we give to most first nations clients. We look for clients who portray the characteristics of effective government. It's not really that surprising. It's about stable institutions and policies of government so that a business like ours knows what the rules are when we go in to do business there.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It can first of all assist local northern governments, whether they be aboriginal or territorial governments, in creating that kind of environment. Frankly, I think the federal government can also take a look at that approach when it comes to economic development. Besides putting money into business start-ups, sometimes it's about doing things like creating an opportunity for there to be a fire marshal in Nunavut when I need to open a branch.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I can go first. I think education is the number one priority. If we look at the customers we have who are successful, it's because they're being driven by people from the region who live there, understand the needs and wants of the communities they work for, and are capable of delivering the results.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for the opportunity to present to you today. I thought I would give you a brief background on First Nations Bank, where we operate, and what we do. We do a lot of business in the north. In fact, it's one of the biggest regions we do business in and the fastest growing region for our business.