Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Sekoh. Skano. Bonjour. Good morning. As you've mentioned, I'm here this morning on behalf of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, which focuses on the educational opportunities of first nations, Métis, and Inuit youth. I've been around this place long enough to know

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There is no document.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Do you want me to slow down? Would that be helpful?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  So he talked about the need for providing “predictable long-term funding for post-secondary education” to “train our future researchers, scientists and innovators”. He also noted the severe shortage of skilled labour, the need for better cooperation between governments, and the n

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  First of all, let me say that I'm delighted to be joined here by Dr. Paulette Tremblay, who has not only a doctorate in education but also a masters in evaluation. When I came to the foundation, it was important to me to focus on evaluation and ensure accountability. The foundat

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We would be happy to. We do the analysis by gender--from 1999 to 2006--in the area of study. By province, we can tell you what funds are going to Métis, first nations, and Inuit over time. So we are tracking. We need to do more. I am very keen to track, especially at the end.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you very for the question. I can tell you that the website is available in French and in English. The materials, the applications for scholarships, are available in French as well, as is the annual report. I can tell you, though, that it is a tremendous challenge for us, b

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I thank the member for his question. I've taken note of October 26; that's a couple of days away. We certainly will do our very best to, if not attend, certainly obtain some information about this event. I'd also say to the member that it is a priority of mine to do outreach.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Say the last part again.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. I can point to last year, when we received applications from 1,129 people--

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I have a sense, but I can't give you any authoritative statistics on it. There are many more than the number of applications we receive. I would not be overstating it to say that there are thousands of first nations, Métis, and Inuit young people who would like post-secondary ass

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think I'll leave the committee and others to evaluate the INAC system. Internally, I can only say that many of the students who come to us come despite being provided with some assistance through the department. For example, the department allocates funds to first nations tha