Yes, recently it does feel as if the federal government is stepping up.
There are consultations like this, but there is that sense within the community that there's more opportunity for funding programs and for engagements, etc. I think some good first steps have happened. We are watching and waiting, and are ready to jump on when that happens.
Absolutely, there's a connection between housing on reserve and why people migrate to Winnipeg when there's a lack of opportunity within first nations or it's completely unsafe to live in those situations, so it's extremely important. We are people who are connected to our land base, and that's important to us. To be able to go back home is really important. To invest in housing on reserve is a smart investment. People are not going to leave. If you don't pay attention to it now we'll be paying for all of it later.
At some point we have to get off this roller coaster, the cycle that we're in whereby our community continues to be neglected. We can't expect things to get any better if we're not making strategic investments in social development, housing, and indigenous leadership, etc.