Last Saturday we started to talk with the first nations people, face to face.
The town council of Hearst and the band council of Countess Lake 92 got together and learned a lot about each other. I think that our future lies in the far north. The solution is to develop the far north, to go and get the resources, while still respecting the First Nations and their realities. We must help them move things forward. There will certainly be ups and downs, but as elected representatives, we have to have mutual understanding and support so that we can move forward.
Today, people in some First Nations in the north are going to pay $8 for a quart of milk. They are living in conditions that are unacceptable. We must try to help them. After all, we are going to benefit from the resources in the far north. We must work together and move forward, while respecting First Nations' culture. Otherwise, we will not be able to move forward, and we will all go under. I think that First Nations are open to the idea of working with us along those lines. It is going very well.
I encourage the government to invest in FedNor so that we can move projects forward, especially in communities that are in trouble and that need help. At the moment, there is a lot of bureaucracy. My apologies if I am insulting anyone, but the bureaucracy is awful. We get nowhere. Often we get money from the province, but the federal government steps on the brakes rather than help us. I think doors should be opened so that northern Ontario receives the help it needs to move forward.