Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  If we are going to truly move forward in a spirit of reconciliation, respect, and tone of relationship with first nations communities and all indigenous organizations, one can argue that the default prevention and management policy, notwithstanding its derivation from the Treasur

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Was it deficits on band support funding levels—which is what I thought it was—as opposed to deficits of the organization? My understanding was you were concerned about the level of deficits on the band support funding aspect of the community.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Overall.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I see. I thought it was just on band support level. Okay. We can do that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, we have that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you very much.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Our policy, as I said in my opening remarks, is a derivation of the Treasury Board transfer payment policy, which all departments that have to transfer funds—whether to indigenous or non-indigenous organizations—have to respect. The issue with first nations communities is that th

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  —or there are financial issues or mismanagement or they are in default in terms of accumulated effect? It's a unique circumstance.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for flagging something that I didn't highlight in my remarks, which is that the default prevention and management policy is to be applied against any organization that INAC transfers funding to. It's not first nations centric. That is based on the Treasury Board transfe

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  —to ensure that the recipient has the capacity to take the dollars. However, sometimes those recipients are carrying out essential services. If we don't fund it through them, then how are we going to suffer those community members who have an impact on that? That's the balance.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  What transpired in that situation was incredibly tragic. It just shows the fragility of our federal government procurement processes. Notwithstanding the national RFP and trying to get qualified people to go through the gate and the review, we can have somebody who still gets sel

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  This is where I'm very excited about this pilot project I mentioned in my opening remarks with the First Nations Financial Management Board. It's an example of innovation whereby we are not doing it, but we are working through an indigenous centric institution that has financial

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's a very good question. Each has its own ways of engagement. The first nations having difficulties are, as you know, those in remote and isolated communities that don't have own source revenues. This is where they have a technical capacity issue. Some accounting firms try

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  They can. They try to do so where they can. Some are not so focused on that as on just trying to get the job done. There is also the Aboriginal Finance Officers Association, which is also involved in trying to help where they can.