The Conservative party has 'got a long way to go' in understanding the necessity of land claims and self-government for aboriginals in Canada, says Yukon MP Larry Bagnell.

Bagnell said he has the start of a good working relationship with Jim Prentice, the new Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

But, Prentice voted along with his Conservative party against several land claim agreements while the party was in opposition, Bagnell said in an interview today.

Prentice, a Calgary MP, served as the critic for Indian Affairs and Northern Development from July 2004 until his naming as minister today.

He has previously served as a member of the federal Indian Land Claims Commission of Canada for 10 years, seven of which he was a co-chair.

'I am acknowledged to have some considerable experience in this area, along with some long-considered views about how we should be sensibly making the lives of Canada's aboriginal peoples better while respecting the legitimate rights of all Canadians,' Prentice states on his website, where he has already posted a response to his appointment as minister.

Bagnell said Prentice is the Conservatives' 'most knowledgeable person' in relation to Indian affairs and is an 'expert in land claims.'

'It's good they have their most knowledgeable person there, but they've got a long way to go,' said Bagnell.

Bagnell will be looking to the Conservatives to ensure they continue work on the $5-billion Kelowna agreement and the residential school agreement reached in late 2005.

It is fundamentally important that work continue to be done on reducing the disparity between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians, said Bagnell.

He added the Conservatives refused to commit to the funds.

'(The Conservatives) have no plans to dismantle any of the funds,' Prentice told the Star in January during the federal election. '(We) intend to proceed diligently.'

Prentice said the Conservatives have been focused on the need for economic development in the North and for aboriginals, and the need to be responsive to land claim settlements.

The Conservative party will ensure there are comparable health, educational and economic opportunities for all Canadians, he said.

'Future developments in the North, including the proposed Mackenzie Valley Gas pipeline, offer further opportunities for the North, many of which have important benefits for the economies of Alberta and the nation as a whole,' Prentice's website further states.

According to Prentice's website, he took a lead opposition role in the Tlicho land claim agreement, which he says 'will make Canada ungovernable in 50 years.'

In Parliament, Prentice has also questioned the government's treatment of aboriginal women and money spent on administering the residential school claims program for aboriginal victims of abuse.

'(The government) spends upwards of $10 billion a year on aboriginal programs, but aboriginal Canadians in many communities still have undrinkable water and live in substandard conditions,' states Prentice's website.

Bagnell said he will be interested in seeing how the Conservatives approach problems facing aboriginal communities, including drinking water, education levels and health care.

Bagnell has been involved with Prentice in debates on land claims in the past and he hopes that relationship will allow them some understanding in relation to the needs of first nations in the Yukon.

However, there is no minister from the North. The Conservatives were unable to win any of the three territories.

'We are going to have to be vigilant to make sure that northern issues maintain their priority,' said Bagnell.

Prentice previously told the Star the Conservatives are set to 'move forward on a defined vision for the North.'

The party's vision includes clarifying northern sovereignty, devolution of governance with revenue sharing, simplifying regulatory authority, creating an effective environmental plan and creating comparable opportunities for northerners with those of southern Canadians.

The current regulatory authority threatens development in the North because it is so complicated, said Prentice.