I'll try to move through this rather quickly, given the time we have. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Jobs and economic growth are very important and fundamental to improving the lives of aboriginal people in Canada. Opportunities for first nations, Inuit, and Métis people have never been greater.
In 2009 the Government of Canada launched the federal framework for aboriginal economic development, which is a modern and comprehensive policy approach to aboriginal economic development. It is opportunity driven and puts emphasis on building partnerships with aboriginal groups, the private sector, and the provinces and territories.
There are more than 20 different departments and agencies that have some measure of responsibility for aboriginal people in the economy, and the framework is a whole-of-government approach that brings some of these collective actions together. It is focused on five priorities: to focus the role of government around being an enabler to help eliminate and reduce some of the barriers to economic development, particularly on reserve; to leverage partnerships and resources to seize new opportunities and capitalize on increased private sector interest; to enhance the value of aboriginal assets through a modern lands and resource management regime and legislative and regulatory initiatives that leverage a growing land and resource base; to foster a business friendly climate on reserve land and strengthen aboriginal entrepreneurship through improved access to capital, procurement opportunities, and enhanced local service delivery; and to support demand-driven labour market needs with strategic investments in human capital, which you've already heard a little bit about.
With the framework guiding our efforts, we are achieving some very positive and promising results. We have a number of examples around procurement, including the $1.17 billion Canadian air force 5 Wing Goose Bay project in Labrador, and the $33 billion national shipbuilding procurement strategy. Through projects like these, with 20- to 30-year life spans, aboriginal businesses and individuals will now have access to millions of dollars' worth of procurement opportunities and employment opportunities.
Last year, through our department's community economic opportunity program, $16 million was invested, and there were 200 on-reserve projects to create jobs, generate revenues, activate lands and resources, and enhance infrastructure, which resulted in more contracts and sales for community businesses.
Significant efforts are also under way to remove barriers to economic development on reserve lands caused by the Indian Act. These efforts are helping to create the conditions necessary for economic success. The first nations land management regime, for example, allows first nations to opt out of the 34 land-related sections of the Indian Act and assume control for their reserve land and resources so they can operate at the speed of business. Between January and September of this year, 36 more first nations joined this regime.
Also, since its launch in 2010, the strategic partnerships initiative, or SPI, has supported capacity development in over 300 aboriginal communities and organizations, developed over 80 new partnerships, and leveraged close to $43 million in additional funding from non-federal and private sources.
A flagship program of the framework, SPI has had important success in a short period of time, and has been a catalyst for preparing aboriginal people and communities for participation in many significant economic opportunities.
Emerging economic opportunities are increasingly large scale and complex. You may already know that more than 600 resource development projects worth over $650 billion are anticipated in Canada over the next decade, and these hold enormous potential for aboriginal people.
This is heightening the need for federal coordination, early engagement, and more targeted support for aboriginal communities. This is where the strategic partnerships initiative has been playing an important role.
On west coast energy, over the next 20 years global demand for natural gas is expected to rise dramatically, primarily fuelled by rapid economic growth in Asia. There are currently six liquefied natural gas projects being proposed for development on the west coast.
In October, SPI funded two forums for aboriginal groups to improve knowledge about the energy sector in B.C. These events brought together first nations leadership, government, and industry partners to improve understanding and knowledge about the complexities, risks, and opportunities of major resource projects.