Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's correct.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We try to use that rarely, and we only do it in circumstances where all other avenues have failed. That's usually because the first nations governance breaks down or there's an inability to address the circumstances that caused it. The third and final pillar is sustainability, which is trying to get the first nations to never go back to it again and to move forward.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I totally concur with you that the implementation of the policy doesn't mean much for certain first nations if there's not overall adequate funding. It all depends upon what the circumstance is. Sometimes it's just a lack of governance. It's not necessarily the lack of funding whereby there has been a breakdown.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Good morning, Madam Chair, and members of the committee. Thank you for the invitation to come before you. It's good to be back here. I have my colleagues with me in order to provide support or respond to your questions on this very important issue. Let me begin by saying that the study is very timely.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you very much. We have that table, and we would be very pleased to table it with the committee for the benefit of all members.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. I believe the minister in previous appearances, and in her opening remarks, talked about how, from her vantage point of being a parliamentarian for so many years, the current estimates process does not work in providing the clarity that you've noted.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you very much for the question. With vote 1, operating expenditures, it's not in fact all for the department's purposes; it's also for monies for contaminated sites and residential schools. With regard to the actual portion of the operating expenditures of the billion dollars allocated, $500 million is for the department's salaries and its own expenditures.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Saganash, for the question. Technically it's an exercise that we do across all programs with defined purposes, and Jordan's principle is an example of that. Over the course of the fiscal year we examine the degree of expenditures associated with the budget allotment, and then, depending upon the degree of usage, we will engage with the central agencies and make a request for re-profiling some months before the end of the fiscal year to ensure that the dedicated pot is used for its intended purposes in future years.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. It's essentially through the supplementary estimates item that we just referenced when I was talking to Mr. McLeod, which is through these community-based workshops under the ARES studies to assess the environmental impact in these kinds of pristine areas.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We are striving to budget for homes to ensure that we address the costs of homes delivered to the north in order to deal with the overcrowding situation.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. This money is going to be used to help assess the potential environmental impacts of future oil and gas activity in three regions of the Arctic: the Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin; Baffin Bay and Davis Strait; Kivalliq and Kitikmeot and the Arctic islands of Nunavut.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It does, and—

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  —if it doesn't, we will seek to re-profile it for the future, with the support of the central agencies, so that it does not get lost.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  As for the action plan, we can come back to you with some details with regard to how, and the breakout of the work plan associated with the spending of the $19 million.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Okay, we will do that.