Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm not sure what the role of the GN would have to do with that. We work directly with INAC on the funding issues. Every year, we are asked to put together a budget. We put together a needs-based budget, and then they turn around and tell us, “Well, you have x number of dollars that you can spend this year.”

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you. We are funded by the federal government, from INAC, through the implementation branch. That's where our funding comes from. Our issue is that we're still based on the original 1993 agreement, when the Nunavut Planning Commission was formed. That funding agreement has not changed.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Paul, and Mr. Chair. The isolation of Nunavut's communities creates many barriers for the emergence and sustainability of small business. A lack of capacity, both in terms of human resources and infrastructure, threatens the viability and sustainability of small business.