Natural Resources committee  On the HR question, it's a very good question. I hear the request and the opportunity or potential issue with 60,000 employees needing to be hired in the forest sector. To bring it down to some of the entities I've worked with and am working with right now, such as NorSask, they

Natural Resources committee  I had a similar response. We have a membership as well, so we're a membership-driven organization and first nations businesses are part of it. Partnerships should be above board and apropos.

Natural Resources committee  Off the top of my head, in terms of a specific response, I'm not sure if we've had a specific response, but I know that in terms of a few forestry-geared programs delivered through Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and also Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Fore

Natural Resources committee  I know it goes up and down, but relatively speaking we can say that your budget is not $245,000.

Natural Resources committee  Let's be a little fair here in this. Let's hear that there's some responsible players that want to work with the Government of Canada and all the leadership across Canada and build the aboriginal forest sector. That's how we begin to answer that question. I think it has to be don

Natural Resources committee  Oh boy, that House of Commons, that question and answer period: people get riled right up, right? They've got to make the media clip.

Natural Resources committee  Okay, you've got to get your points across. I'm not going to address the exact comments of the member of Parliament, outside of maybe with a little humour—

Natural Resources committee  J-grade cedar from Taan Forest Products, the Haida Nation's forestry company: let's build that home out of Taan Forest's western cedar J-grade lumber. Let's build business with first nations. Let's engineer these homes to the highest standards. Maybe we'll take some FPAC and FP

Natural Resources committee  It's a fascinating question, and I appreciate Ms. Cobden's answer. I too share the belief that the economics have to support it. In the case of aboriginal communities, however, I think there's a role in accessing the actual idea, and in the actual technology as it is proven com

Natural Resources committee  That's a real policy-type, government-type answer. I think what you're talking about in terms of the overall relationship between first nations and non-first nations people in Canada is an ongoing project. Every government in recent history has moved the yardsticks forward in wh

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Trost. I've had the opportunity to visit NorSask and Meadow Lake a few times in the recent past. Through our other portfolio of work we've been able to contextualize and compare it to other examples, as you point out. I guess the safest bet in ter

Natural Resources committee  Oh yes, a northern entrepreneurial culture, I believe, and also the tribal council level of organization—

Natural Resources committee  I think you've mentioned that there are some unique families there. I was able to sit next to one of the foundational chiefs in my last visit there. There are nine chiefs and nine communities that have put it together. They have a pretty discrete and pronounced business approach

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and honourable members of the committee. I would like to thank the standing committee for inviting us to contribute to the study on innovation in Canada's energy sector. My name is Bradley Young and I am the executive director of NAFA, the National Aborig