First of all, to work in the mining industry, you generally need to have at least finished high school. I know that in the case of the Meadowbank mine, steps have been taken to make it easier for aboriginals to work in the mines. It has only been three years, but I know that there has been some progress. Aboriginals are slowly climbing the ranks in mining activities. But it is true that the positions generally offered are entry-level jobs. However, there are people at the Meadowbank mine who have higher positions because they had the training required.
I also know that, aside from the Meadowbank mine, there are a number of examples across the country where mines are contributing to the training and education of aboriginals in the region. There are several examples, and some very good ones, in the Northwest Territories and in British Columbia, which I know well, of partnerships between the industry, the aboriginal communities, the schools, and the federal, provincial and territorial governments. There is cooperation in training the workforce to work in the mining industry, either directly or indirectly. It includes an excellent example that I know well—I think Mr. Bevington knows it well, too—and that is the Mine Training Society in the Northwest Territories. It isn't just training for the jobs, but general training. These programs help aboriginals finish high school and continue their studies in technical fields, among others, to broaden their opportunities for working in the mining industry.
In the Northwest Territories, with the development in the diamond industry, there has been an extraordinary increase in aboriginal involvement at the university level, in just the past 15 years alone.
I admit that it hasn't always necessarily been the case, but the mining industry is now very much involved in the communities it is in. In the aboriginal communities especially, this industry can contribute greatly to improving their quality of life, their education and their skill to be involved in our industry.