Thank you, Madam Chair. I have been concerned for quite some time that there has not been enough attention being paid to matters in the west concerning land claims and treaty rights and various other matters in the aboriginal affairs area. I am pleased to see that there will be a little more money being put into this area, because, as I say, I have been quite concerned for a period of time, particularly when we see the tens of million of dollars being poured into development in the eastern Arctic for their constitutional development, infrastructure development, and the training, and there is no equivalent to that in the west.

Similarly, there has not been enough work being done in the area of assisting the aboriginal people in the west in defining aboriginal and treaty rights, and in concluding their claims. We do know that the division of the territories and the emergence of Nunavut has come about through a land claim. Similarly, in the west for the aboriginal people over here, the conclusion of land claims would help land claims and treaty land entitlement or whatever type of land agreements that the people in the west do. They will help the aboriginal people to contribute much more significantly economically as well as raising their employment levels. Because employment and I guess, wealth in a way, is directly associated with health and education and social programs and the rest of that, I believe that this government should be doing as much as possible to assist in getting these claims, land agreements, to be finalized as quickly as possible.

There was just a report put out recently by the federal government which indicates that the number one enemy to your health basically, or there abouts, number one is unemployment. We know that the high rates of unemployment amongst the aboriginal people in the west, in the north, and in this instance, I am speaking about the west, the rates are abominable. Nobody would want to be included in those statistics. No non-aboriginal person would want to be included in such statistics. Madam Chair, similarly non-aboriginal people would not want to be included in the statistics involved in the deplorable state of education amongst the aboriginal people in the west and in the east.

So, as I said, I am very pleased to see that there is an attempt to put more money into this area. I hope that the other Members can also agree with this and perhaps recommend that we put more money in addition to what is being suggested if they so choose. Thank you.