Not sure how it helps, Binder, but the mining industry likes it (unless it's all spin). Let's be real. I hope devolving responsibility and power to native groups helps the mining industry. But so far they (along with the greens) have already ground to a halt the Western Pipeline from the oil sands in Alberta as a route for heavy oil transport to Asian markets through the proposed terminal at Kitimat, BC. Obama killed the Keystone for this product to go south to the US, which looks like a good decision now because the oil sands will have to sell product cheaper if they have no secure way to transport it and will make US oil and gas resources that much more valuable. Further, the huge oil and gas finds in the Mackenzie Valley are going nowhere fast, unless they allow expansion of the smallish pipeline south from Norman Wells in NWT; and in general empowerment of native groups has slowed things down rather than the opposite. The only upside I can see from what I have read is if the feds reduce entitlements to various benefits, then there might be more incentive to engage with the real economy. Politics among the natives are Byzantine to say the least, they can hardly agree on the time of day, which does not make for fast or predictable decision making. Ike