Mr. Chair, first, I would like to thank the member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, a strong member of our aboriginal affairs committee, a proud member of the Plains Cree Nation and former member of the RCMP who has great experience working in first nation communities. I was glad to hear him speak about some of the improvements that our government is making in water and waste water on reserved.
Our government believes that first nations should have access to the same quality of water and waste water as all other Canadians. It is quite simple. That is why we are creating the conditions for self-sufficient first nation communities in exploring alternative ways of financing infrastructure on reserve, and that continues to be a priority for our government.
One great example of this is the collaboration between the government and the four Island Lake communities in Manitoba to implement a multi-year action plan to improve water and waste water services. We will continue to build on these successful partnerships and ensure that first nations have the tools they need to manage their own affairs and be less dependent on the government for financing.