Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. If I understand, you're asking on what authority we act. First and foremost, the Government of Canada has made a commitment to economic reconciliation. Economic reconciliation means that the Government of Canada and I—as a public servant, quite frankly, and one of the department heads—recognize that there has been harm done in the past.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I appreciate very much the question and certainly agree with you. Certainly, the Indian Act over the years has effectively locked indigenous people out of participating in the economy. There are some things in place that are encouraging. My colleague Rob mentioned earlier that you can opt out of the Indian Act as part of the fiscal management act and set up your own financial administration laws.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm not sure I can add more than that, Robert. Clearly, sir, we can follow up if there are specific questions.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. The vast majority of it, so the $350-million aboriginal entrepreneurship program, is a contribution. In this case, it is with the national aboriginal partnerships corporation. They dole out the money to 58 independent indigenous financial institutions, who in turn work directly with communities to help individual indigenous entrepreneurs in communities obtain loans for businesses.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. Thank you. I, too, would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. My name is Michelle. I'm the associate deputy minister at Indigenous Services Canada, and I'm joined by my colleague Jessica Sultan—in a very tangled earpiece—who is the director general of our economic policy development branch.