Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Force the retailers and wholesalers to do joint ventures with the community so that the communities have a vested interest in the success of the program. So buy our relatives over here a warehouse, and ensure that the company partners with them to make it a successful program.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Just to reiterate what has been said, we need to communicate. We need to collaborate and make this project a success, because I see the potential of it. It is a step in the right direction. However, we need to make those changes so that it will work properly and serve the people

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. I think one issue that I'd like some examination on is the fact that in my community--I'm not sure farther to the north with ACL--the North West Company has been the only show in town for the last hundred years. It used to be called

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think your question is twofold. As you can ask me the question, I can ask you the question as well. If you're going to make an investment to try to better the nutrition of the north, then what are you doing to ensure the communities are properly aware, properly informed? What a

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Okay.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. That would have to be based on the individuals. There were people such as teachers, there were community members who did participate in certain portions of the program historically.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I guess the initial issue is my community is unique because the North West Company actually runs Canada Post, so there may be a bit of a conflict of interest, but we'll get to that later. I guess the two non-food items that I would recommend would be gasoline and ammunition, bec

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It was done unilaterally, I guess. There was no consultation, no input. Actually, my community, the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, called Pukatawagan, has a rail link, but a few of our satellite communities that are farther out on the land have no access; they're fly-in.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's right.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, not all, and there was actually no information that the food mail program was going to be tendered, if it was at all.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm hoping that we'd be able to determine that here today and that we have opened up some dialogue so that those questions can be answered and we can deal with them.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It wasn't.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's right.