The Canadian government is committed to ensuring that aboriginal people have equal access to training and development opportunities, the country's minister of Indian affairs and northern development Chuck Strahl has commented.

Speaking on behalf of the minister of human resources and skills development, Mr Strahl said that the pledge to provide this training had been firmly set out in national development programmes.

"Canada's Economic Action Plan aims to create more and better opportunities for Aboriginal Canadians by investing in the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) programme," he said, speaking to MSNBC.

ASEP prepares aboriginal workers for careers in a host of sectors including mining, fishing, construction and the oil and gas industry.

The scheme was first unveiled in 2003, when the treasury allotted C$85 million to the project for a five-year period.

ASEP was designed to complement the existing work of the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy, which was established in 1999 to support the training of the indigenous population of Canada.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development