Mr. Speaker, the hon. member who just spoke has probably given one of the best accounts of the situation with aboriginal people in Canada today that I have heard in parliament since I came here in September 1997. I cannot speak to the 1992 and 1993 statistics and all those things. Figures can be twisted around so that we are not too sure what they actually reflect.
The fact is that with the wise use of financial resources we can make some immediate impact for poor people both on and off reserve. The accountability issue is something that poor people on reserves across the country have been raising. Accountability is seen by the simplest explanation I have heard: “The chief lives across from me in a $200,000 house. I am living in a house with no running water, no sewage and very little insulation in some cases”. The funding that went into reserves for housing has been well documented over the years. Why do some have so much and some so little? This is the funding the hon. member is talking about.
Will the member keep speaking to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and pressing his government along the lines he spoke about today? If he does I would be pleased to support him.