Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the hon. member for Churchill on behalf of the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development concerning the urgent social problems at the Shamattawa First Nation.
Again the government is very concerned and deeply disturbed about the conditions facing the Shamattawa First Nation and is taking action. We have been meeting with the Shamattawa First Nation over the past few months to formulate long term solutions to improve life for residents of this community.
At the most recent meeting of November 20, officials from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Health Canada met with the chief of the Shamattawa First Nation and Grand Chief Francis Flett whom I know personally of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak. They discussed ways to improve conditions for youth in the community to address the high rates of solvent abuse and suicide.
One proposed solution is for the first nation to build an arena and recreation facility that would address these social problems and combat boredom among youth. The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is pleased to commit $400,000 toward the construction of this complex, and the first nation anticipates starting construction in the spring.
The department has also identified $33,000 to assist first nations in the development of their own long term human resource strategy. This strategy will target education and employment opportunities for youth, giving them more opportunities for a brighter future. We did not stop there or our efforts will not stop there.
In the 1996-97 budget for the Shamattawa First Nation, in addition to the regular capital outlays for such things as housing which affects the social conditions and the psychological conditions of the people on reserves, we have committed $2.86 million to housing, which will provide 33 additional houses for the Shamattawa community, and $4.73 million to a water treatment facility.
To conclude, we are working very diligently in this regard. I thank the hon. member for her questions. We are working on these very serious problems in a number of communities across Canada with the aboriginal leadership. We want to resolve them as much as the hon. member for Churchill does.