E/CN.4/2005/88/Add.3 page 18 70. Nine of the 14 Yukon First Nations have concluded land claims and self-government agreements with the federal and territorial governments. In the Northwest Territories, four of the seven Aboriginal groups have concluded land claims agreements, some of which are coupled with self-government agreements. Through a remapping of the way the North is governed, the political make-up of Canada has changed significantly in less than a generation. However, Crown lands and resources (oil, gas) continue to be administered by Canada and are subject to regulation under federal laws. 71. The Grand Council of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty No. 3 wishes to negotiate an agreement with the federal Government that would include their right to make their own laws. They wish to reduce their dependency on government handouts and strict regulation by the Indian Act, complaining that they have little or no control over events that affect their lives. Disillusioned by the pace of progress, they demand that the federal Government negotiate with them in good faith. 72. In some communities, factional struggles over issues concerning management and resources have led to confrontation between community members and government officers. In the Mohawk community of Kanesatake, the Special Rapporteur was informed that people fear that a standoff such as the one that occurred during the Oka crisis in 1990 (when a protest over land issues was put down through military intervention) might be repeated. The parties involved in the conflict are seeking a solution, but Mohawk leaders are understandably concerned. H. Towards Aboriginal economic development 73. The annual income of Aboriginal people is on the average significantly lower than that of other Canadians. Despite the existing legal instruments for affirmative action in the sector of employment for Native Canadians unemployment is still high, and has risen in relative terms in the last decade as the size of the youth population has increased. According to some estimates, more than 80,000 jobs are needed just to raise Aboriginal people’s employment rate to the overall Canadian rate. An additional 225,000 jobs will have to be found in the next 20 years just to maintain the current level of Aboriginal employment. Many more will be required in order to see an improvement. 74. For Aboriginal peoples and many observers it is difficult to understand why they cannot protect, benefit meaningfully from, and dispose freely of the land and resources to which they have an inherent right that has been recognized in principle in the Constitution. This is probably the main obstacle to real economic development among First Nations, Métis and Inuit. As a result of land loss and severe limitations set by the various levels of government on the free use and continuing benefit of their natural resources, Aboriginal people have become increasingly dependent on distributive measures undertaken for their benefit by the federal or provincial governments. This in turn accounts for the large disparities in levels of living indicators between Aboriginal people and other Canadians. 75. Governments have worked with Aboriginal entrepreneurs to help make business development one of the sparks of economic growth in Aboriginal communities. Many have demonstrated their capacity to master a wide range of commercial skills as individual