National Defence committee  Daniel is going to help me on this question. The northern strategy is mainly geared toward Nunavut and the western Arctic. Labrador and Nunavik have been excluded from it mainly because we fall within the provinces. We fall under the Quebec government, and some of the programs offered would be offered through the northern strategy.

National Defence committee  At every opportunity, our president, Pita Aatami, president of Makivik Corporation, tried to bring this up with the government through the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. I believe you had presentations from them this week.

National Defence committee  We've also tried to use the Quebec government, to see if they could push on our behalf to get us included in the northern strategy. But also, provincially we're working hand in hand, hopefully, with the Quebec government on their plan nord. So to that extent, we're making a lot of headway with the provincial government, but not so with the federal government.

National Defence committee  I'll try to answer that. Many of the search and rescues that take place in the north aren't well done. We had a case where we had a family on a freighter canoe, a 22-foot freighter canoe, leaving my village and going to another village. There was a problem with their motor. It was not bad weather, it was a problem with the motor, and the Hercules search and rescue plane searched for it.

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the committee, for giving us the chance to appear in front of you today to speak about Arctic sovereignty. I am from Kuujjuaq, a town in Nunavik, but I grew up with the federal day school system, so my French isn't that good.