Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in order to answer the question posed by the hon. member for Churchill this evening.
As the minister has already said, our government believes that first nations should have the same quality of life, the same opportunities and the same choices as all other Canadians.
When it came to power, our government promised to work for the first nations, but the NDP voted against almost every measure we introduced.
Let us look at this past fiscal year, for example. In 2013-14 alone, we invested more than $1 billion in support for Manitoba's first nations.
I would like to highlight just a few ways we have been working with Manitoba first nations to improve their quality of life.
Specifically with respect to housing, we invested roughly $38 million in 2013-14. Since being elected, our government has built nearly 2,000 homes on reserve in Manitoba alone. We are not only ensuring that Manitoba first nations have homes to live in; we want to make sure that they are serviced to the same standard as those off reserve.
As we speak, homes in the first nations communities of St. Theresa Point, Wasagamack, Garden Hill, and Red Sucker Lake are getting investments in their infrastructure. Economic action plan investments have allowed our government to retrofit 318 homes and to purchase six water trucks, seven sewage trucks, and over 200 water and sewage tanks in these communities alone. These are renovations and purchases, I might add, that the NDP insisted on voting against.
We have also made significant investments in first nations water and waste water. In November 2013, the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act came into force. Once the regulations are complete, this landmark piece of legislation will ensure that first nations enjoy the same quality of drinking water as all other Canadians.
We are making sure that the funding is in place to implement the goals of this act. A $10.7-million upgraded waste water facility, including a new sewage treatment plant, is nearing completion for the God's Lake First Nation. It will serve over 1,400 Manitobans who live on reserve.
We are also investing in jobs and skills training. In January 2014, our government announced that more than 150 first nation young adults in Manitoba would be connected to skills training and jobs through enhanced service delivery.
As members can see, whether it relates to housing or water and waste water, our government is committed to improving the lives of first nations on reserve, despite the fact that the NDP continues to oppose these excellent investments.