Sure. Thank you for the question.
We've spoken a great deal with educational institutions and with business in order to encourage that partnership. The national chief launched a corporate challenge, which has led to the signing of a number of MOUs with large corporations throughout Canada.
We're doing a lot of work with the educational institutions. Actually, we have begun conversations on this very topic with members of the Conservative caucus as well. We have yet to see a firm plan, a strategy for moving this forward, both in the short and the longer term.
In the short term, which I think I failed to respond to Mr. Keddy about, there is actually one area of education in which first nations are overrepresented, and that is skilled trades certificate and diplomas areas. In every other area of education we're underrepresented. So certainly the needs in those sectors of the economy can be met more quickly by first nations youth.
What we need are investments in the fundamental education programs that underlie that and in some of our skills development programs above that, in order to continue that growth in the medium and longer term.
The investment by the government, which was announced in the Speech from the Throne, with regard to the ASEP program, which is the aboriginal skills and employment partnership program, will mostly go to businesses in order to attract people.
The aboriginal human resources and skills development strategy, which expires in March 2009, is under examination at this very moment. So the importance of addressing what you're talking about for a medium- and longer-term strategy to continue the growth we are engaged in now is absolutely essential at that date.