Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I will be voting in favour of this recommendation. It was an enormously successful program a couple of years ago. There was good uptake on it, and the elders were actually utilizing it. For us, it is a small price to pay to support our elders in a traditional activity. Often it’s not about building a secondary location; it’s actually in a traditional area where they
need improvements. That’s where they’ve been living all their lives — far, far before they moved into our communities and regional centres. A lot of it, too, is because it’s to get their needs met. Their families are growing, so they had to move to the communities. Schooling needs to happen. But they belong to the land.
One way that our government can continue with enhancing our culture, supporting our aboriginal populations and supporting the people from the land…. This is one small way of doing it. I was glad to see it and equally unhappy that it was removed in the last term.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I would certainly like to see it reinstated and readdressed one more time to support our elders who are living on the land, and their families. Mahsi cho.