I want to thank the member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan. He makes one heck of a neighbour out there in northwestern Ontario, advocating for the people of Thunder Bay.

He’s right: Indigenous businesses have an incredible opportunity. This is an Indigenous-led and -inspired fund through the Chiefs of Ontario and our wealth creation and prosperity table. I had a chance to be with the member from Durham—also a fantastic advocate for his riding and the Indigenous communities there—as we attended, at the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, our announcement to commit $25 million to this Indigenous Economic Development Fund that creates access to business capital—much needed—through loans and grants, supports digitization and e-commerce, supply chain mapping, building on the existing opportunities and understanding where the new opportunities are, economic development training for business capacity, and, finally and most importantly, perhaps, focusing on access to Indigenous apprentices.

Now, I can’t help but think that there is an opportunity, as those businesses and those Indigenous people finish the work there, to start contracting businesses. Mining, forestry and energy infrastructure are all on the table, and do you know what they have in common? They cannot succeed unless we have a robust Indigenous business economic opportunity, trained skilled workers and apprentices getting out there, getting the work done.

We’re proud of the work we’re doing with the Chiefs of Ontario, our Indigenous businesses. We’re going to get this done, and Indigenous communities are going to be the benefit of it.