Mr. Speaker, obviously, this will take time. In order to take the best possible advantage of these provisions, qualifying first nations will have to have concluded a self-government agreement.
However, it is obvious that almost all aboriginal groups, with few exceptions, will experience the joys of self-sufficiency with the help of the natural resources that belong to them. To a certain extent, they will become more independent and more productive.
I have been saying it for years; these people will rise above the social ills that are killing them the day they live off their own resources, not government subsidies. They will be able to tap into the potential of these resources, which are located on their ancestral lands.
During consideration of self-government agreements over the past year, we realized that mineral resources on these lands were abundant. Aboriginal groups had started to make mention of these resources in the discussions. At one point, the figure mentioned was 20%, which translates into astronomical sums of money. As a result, aboriginal groups will no longer have to beg to increase their little budgets, instead they will be able to use their own resources, since we are talking about lands they inherited from their ancestors. They will be able to live off those lands, and their children will be increasingly proud to see that they can turn a profit and turn down what the government gives them.