It was a historic day for aboriginal communities across Canada on Thursday as the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Metis and non-status aboriginals are “Indians” under the Constitution.

The decision paves the way for an estimated 600,000 Metis and non-status Aboriginals to gain access to federal First Nations programs that were previously out of their reach.

An aboriginal leader who rallied behind the case called the ruling “somewhat surreal” and says he’s now waiting on a phone call from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett to get the ball rolling.

“It’s [a] historical recognition that has been long overdue,” Dwight Dorey, national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, told CTV News Channel on Saturday. “It was quite an exciting day.”

It’s yet to be seen whether the ruling will prompt the government to increase its budget for First Nations programs. But Dorey says Metis and non-status aboriginals should have access to the same resources provided to status Indians for decades.

“Obviously with the recognition, we’re anticipating and fully expecting that there is going to be resources available to address longstanding issues,” he said.

The next step for aboriginal leaders is consultation with the government, a conversation that Trudeau committed to moments after the ruling came down.

“We’ll be engaging with indigenous leadership to figure out the path forward, but I can guarantee you one thing: the path forward will be together,” he said at an event in London, Ont., on Thursday.

Dorey says that conversation is just one phone call away.

“I’m waiting for a call now from either the prime minster or the minister of indigenous affairs to say, ‘That was a good day, Dwight, and it’s time for us to now start planning some dialogue,’” Dorey said.

“We need to sit down and have an open discussion on what is the meaning of this. I’m hoping they’re going to engage in a process.”

The top court’s decision immediately affects an estimated 200,000 Metis and 400,000 non-status aboriginal people across Canada.