Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the chair of the aboriginal affairs committee. He has recently been appointed to that role and has certainly excelled at it. We are happy to have him as a member of the committee.
Certainly this government has implemented a number of programs that support aboriginal economic development. These programs will drive economic development on reserve by ensuring that first nations have the tools they need to take advantage of all the opportunities that Canada has to offer.
Economic action plan 2015 proposes to provide $30.3 million over five years for the expansion of the first nations land management regime to create more opportunities for economic development on reserve.
Our government will also be moving forward with amendments to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act. Under the act last year, 14 first nations participated in the $90-million inaugural bond, which allows them to have the same access to capital as most local governments in Canada.
This is something that we are studying at the aboriginal affairs committee. We have heard about the great success of the First Nations Land Management Act, something that at its inception was not thought perhaps was going to amount to much, but now first nations have seen the success of the nations under the FNLMA and they too want to join that and take control over those 34 sections of the Indian Act so that they have more control over their own lands.