She's also responsible for overseeing Canada's relationship with its million-plus aboriginal citizens.

Prior to her appointment as DIAND minister June 11, Stewart's experience in government was primarily in finance. She was minister of national revenue between January 1996 -- when she was first elevated from the backbenches to cabinet -- and the end of the last Parliament.

Stewart, 42, was elected MP for the Ontario riding of Brant in the Liberal sweep of 1993. It was her first venture in to politics. Prior to that, she was self-employed human resources consultant.

In an interview on Thursday with News/North, Stewart stressed a commitment to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, as well as settle land claims still being processed by the federal government.

She sees the commission's multi-million-dollar report as an asset that will prove more valuable as the government explores ways of implementing its recommendations.

"For me, I look at the RCAP, and I view that as a gift to us all -- to the federal government to aboriginal people, and to the territories and provinces," she said.

"It gives us a very comprehensive review assessment and set of recommendations of how we can move forward."

She maintained that the report will give the federal government the tools to solve some long-term problems.

"The last thing I want to be is a minister of a department of the federal government that imposes a series of solutions that become the next Indian Act -- I'm just not going to do that. It's not the appropriate strategy and it's not the way I think."

The commissioners themselves, she said, view the report as requiring an implementations period of more than 20 years.

Some of the main issues that RCAP deals with include self-government and economic issues, as well as what she refers to as the bread-and-butter issues of housing, education and justice.

She spoke about ways of moving away from income-support programs that don't promote self-reliance, and ways of developing new strategies for economic development.

"Clearly if aboriginal peoples are going to have a bright and healthy future, we have to develop new strategies for economic development that begins, of course, by settling the land claims and having that money available to First Nations and other aboriginal peoples," she said.

"It's good for the communities, the broader communities in which they live. If it's there, it's going to be used for the provision of services and developments."

Of the 440 recommendations in the report, she said, only about 89 fall under Ottawa's jurisdiction --the rest must to be implemented locally.

When asked to describe her style of leadership, Steward said she believes in partnerships, especially with the DIAND portfolio.

"My relationship with the aboriginal people is critical, and I believe our ability to work together will depend on our ability to trust each other."

She said the federal government has to spend more time talking about the situations aboriginals face.

"As a modern nation, as a very, very strong civilization, we have a strong obligation to improve the circumstances of aboriginal peoples, and I'm strongly committed to that."

Stewart said she expects to visit several Northern communities, including Yellowknife and Iqaluit, later this summer.

Reaction to her appointment has been relatively positive so far.

"I've heard she's also from a rural background, and I believe that's good because growing up in the country helps her see concerns of the land," said Bill Erasmus, chief of the Dene First Nations.

While Stewart said nothing on Thursday about an upcoming visit to Yellowknife, Erasmus said that she's been invited to the Treaty 8 assembly in Dettah this week. He hopes to see her then to get a closer look at who the new DIAND minister is.