Government Operations committee  I'll just make one quick comment. It's just a cautionary observation. The devolution of responsibility in the delivery of these kinds of programs to the indigenous community doesn't always solve the problem. It takes much more effort beyond just having those organizations delive

Government Operations committee  I certainly wish there was a simple answer, but just based on the discussion today, it's complicated. I don't have enough familiarity with procurement to be able to give you a firm answer in what that might be. Lots of suggestions were made in testimony thus far. I think it's g

Government Operations committee  Could I make one quick comment?

Government Operations committee  To present the problem, there isn't one paintbrush that's going to solve the problem for us because of the historical complexities in our communities. We're talking about not just the first nations; it's indigenous procurement. There are lots of complexities. There are regional c

Government Operations committee  If I can just speak directly to my experience on the lending side in support of entrepreneurs in the first nations within Alberta, we were right in the middle of the downturn in the oil and gas economy, so we were already hurting very badly in Alberta, and of course the pandemic

Government Operations committee  Without knowing specifically what those 70% cuts relate to, I would say that in my experience of the effects of those cuts and the work that we do on the front lines in the community, they are not only felt by the entrepreneur in the community and those fledgling businesses but i

Government Operations committee  Exactly—PSAB. From my perspective as an individual who has worked in indigenous business development and finance for over 30 years, it has almost been a running joke. I realize there are good intentions behind it, but certainly its poor design speaks for itself. I believe that

Government Operations committee  First of all, I would like to apologize for the audio issues I was having. I did miss most of the earlier conversation, and I apologize for that. Hopefully I'm not repeating some of the things that were said by others. In general terms, I don't have direct experience with or kn

Government Operations committee  I am back, and I do apologize.

Government Operations committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members. First, thank you very much for the opportunity to address the committee today. My name is Rocky Sinclair, and I'm the CEO of the Alberta Indian Investment Corporation. We're an aboriginal financial institution located in Enoch Cr