Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  If you're asking for a specific number, I'd say look at history. I don't have any numbers for that, but you just have to look at history and the indicator of a half or three-quarters of all wealth being derived from the land. If we don't have any land, then we're never going to

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I will. Also, I'm providing this national indigenous economic strategy with some great recommendations.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Let's remember that indigenous people were separated from the market. We were placed on the individual reserves away from the market, so that Canada could be prosperous and access all those lands. By being separate from the economy, we're in the situation we're in. Canada has a p

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. If you look at any of the leakage studies that are done for centres like Thunder Bay, Saskatoon and all the major centres that support indigenous communities in the north or around it, you'll see that there is a large amount of money creating an economy. Communities are alre

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think there's a balance. You just want an opportunity to be able to plan from it. If every society in all of the world can't be wealthy without land, then having no land for indigenous people to plan from is not really a fair thing. Land is embedded in our culture. We are the

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Without land, you don't really have a culture that has any hope of sustainability. Indigenous Services Canada still has a discretionary spend on health, housing and everything that is indigenous. There's no long-term planning for or long-term investment in that. It's a social spe

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for that. We've been in place for more than 35 years. We have 58 financial institutions from coast to coast to coast helping Inuit, Métis and first nation entrepreneurs. We incubate business. I call it the largest social finance network in Canada, if not the world. It'

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It's been seven years—going on eight, I suppose. It's been a long time.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, I know him.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. I actually started as a business development officer, giving out loans. This whole program was created because our people can't access land to securitize loans. They weren't able to participate in the economy. It's had quite a success: $3.3 billion in lending so far. Communi

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm ready to go.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I understand that there's translation going on. I'm going to slow it down just a little bit, so if there could be a little grace....

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  [Witness spoke in Cree] [English] My name is Shannin Metatawabin. I am the chief executive officer of the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association. I am also a member of the Fort Albany First Nation of the Mushkegowuk territory. I would like to thank you for the i

Information & Ethics committee  I think consultation should be expanded a little more. I think we are the only indigenous organization that was consulted with. I'd like to see the National Association of Friendship Centres engaged on their interpretation. They've been doing a lot of lobbying. There are other in

Information & Ethics committee  To be honest, I didn't know much about the changes to the code until I was asked to present at this committee. I think we could be better at communicating the connection between our indigenous community and what's going on with the changes.