Okay.
I want to thank the chair and the committee members for providing us with an opportunity to provide input during this budget consultation.
Ten years ago, September 17, 1999, marked an historic day for all Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, and Passamaquoddy people. The Marshall decision of the Supreme Court forever changed the Atlantic fishery and included many of our communities in a wide range of activities in the fishery. Over this period of ten years we have achieved a great deal: over 1,000 news jobs and over $30 million in revenue for our communities. We want to build on this hard work and build a solid economy for all our communities. This will require additional direct investment by the federal government to ensure that newly created aboriginal economic development becomes real in our communities.
In this time of economic decline, we need to invest now to create the results for the future and to create the many needed jobs in all our communities. Our growing educated and skilled populations in all of our communities can be the fuel for the Atlantic economy. Investments in many of our business projects and much needed economic infrastructure is needed for our communities to play a greater role in the economy. We do not want handouts. We want to create long-term substantial jobs for our young people. We want to be part of the economy, and we don't want to continue another generation of economic dependence and despair, which helps fuel all kinds of negative behaviour in our communities. You can change this by taking action now to support the effort to create a new path for our young people where they can be proud of the way they are as aboriginal peoples of these lands.
I'll now turn it over to my fellow co-chair, Chief Noah Augustine.