Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, the member is quite correct. Building on a previous investment of $9 million from economic action plan 2013, economic action plan 2015 invests a further $30.3 million over five years to encourage additional first nations to join the regime. It is anticipated that this funding will allow an additional 25 communities to become participants in the first nations land management regime which, as the member said, allows first nations to opt out of certain sections of the Indian Act, giving them the ability to operate at the speed of business and make decisions for the benefit of their own communities in their own communities as opposed to the way that it is under the Indian Act where those decisions are often made in Ottawa.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, 14 first nations across Canada participated in the first nations finance authority inaugural bond of $90 million, as the member referenced. The proceeds of the bond are financing much needed infrastructure on reserve and refinancing existing costly bank loans. The community of Membertou in Nova Scotia raised $21 million through the bond, and by using the proceeds to refinance existing commercial loans, it is saving $1.7 million in annual interest costs.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, our economic action plan 2013 invested $241 million over four years in new funding to help first nations youth obtain personalized skills training and a job, because, unlike the opposition parties, our government knows that the greatest assistance we can provide as a government is access to the labour market and individualized training for first nations youth.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the chair of the aboriginal affairs committee. He has recently been appointed to that role and has certainly excelled at it. We are happy to have him as a member of the committee. Certainly this government has implemented a number of programs that support aboriginal economic development.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, the strategic partnerships initiative makes investments to address key priorities, such as encouraging engagement between first nations, industry and the government, as well as providing jobs and skills training to prepare first nations for the labour market. The program is designed to increase aboriginal participation in complex economic opportunities, particularly in the natural resource sectors where projects are emerging at an unprecedented rate across the country.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, from various self-government to comprehensive land claims agreements, to the First Nations Land Management Act, our government has taken strides to provide first nations with greater autonomy. This work has yielded great success through the first nations land management regime.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act included in the Northwest Territories Devolution Act implements obligations under land claim agreements between Canada and the Gwich'in, the Sahtu Dene and Métis, and the Tlicho respectively. It creates a single co-manage regime for land and waters in the Mackenzie Valley.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, first, I assure my colleague that the legislation ensures that any delegation will be consistent with existing land claims and self-government agreements. Moreover, the federal minister must provide written notification to first nations for any proposed delegation of authority.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, first and foremost, the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board is an advisory board that conducts reviews and makes recommendations. Policy direction would ensure a common understanding between the government and the board and would help to reduce uncertainty and delays in environmental assessment decision-making in the event that there was disagreement or uncertainty.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for his remarks. Land and resource management responsibility was transferred to the Yukon territorial government in 2003 and to the Government of Northwest Territories on April 1, 2014.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I was hoping the minister could talk a bit about the amendments to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act, which are part of Bill C-59, the budget implementation act that was introduced this week.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, it is unfortunate that the member got cut off because I believe the actions of our government have shown that we are taking steps to improve the social well-being and economic opportunities for aboriginal people and northerners, and they have been substantial. Could the minister expand on what he said in his remarks about the results we were seeing?

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, one of the items we saw in the recent budget was a commitment to the First Nations Land Management Act. The first duty I had when I was appointed parliamentary secretary was to accompany the minister to an announcement of additional member first nations, which were clambering to join this First Nations Land Management Act.

National Action Plan to Address Violence Against Women  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to take part in the debate on Motion No. 444, presented by the hon. member for Churchill. In my remarks I will be addressing the components of the motion that touch directly on the mandate of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the highest form of aboriginal and treaty rights, acknowledgement and protection is constitutional protection, and section 35 of the Constitution of Canada achieves that. Furthermore, the human rights of all Canadians, including aboriginals, are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.