Mr. Chairman, one of the difficulties I find, with regard to the department itself, is with regard, again, to the responsibility of cultural related activities to provide language, graphics design, publishing, audio-visual services, to all departments and agencies, and the delivery of programs to the public, museums, public libraries, television, and radio activity.

This again, I have problems with. In my constituency, we have one interpreter, one Dene language interpreter specifically for my area. He works in Hay River, and he lives on the reserve. He has to drive 15 miles every summer, every day, to go to work. At least 30 miles a day in order to get to and from work. He does not get any compensation for it, I have asked for that, and I have not received the courtesy of a response, with regard to that particular person. There was also a motion passed by the reserve to have the government, maybe get an agreement, so that they could provide office space for that individual on the reserve, where he lives and where he would prefer to work.

I would like to ask, whether or not, in different regions, or different communities, there is now a trend in aboriginal businesses, using leases? We seem to be finding that very difficult for those communities to take responsibility, in my opinion, of the programs that are directly for them, and that they have ownership of. It is not happening. All the graphics and designs are delivering an aboriginal value in a white institution. When I learned about the rabbit, the teacher did not show me a picture of a rabbit, and I said it in Slavey. I was out there as part of my culture to learn my language, as part of my daily duties. I really get confused over the two concepts, and why the government is so keen on thinking that their teaching methods of aboriginal culture and language are the best.

They do give appraisals for that to the aboriginal people who work in those fields. But, the methodology of delivering the program is foreign. You have to actually learn those techniques to become experts in that area, and then you try to apply it at the community level, which I find very difficult for people to see. It is difficult, Mr. Chairman, to see how it is possible that two very different cultures could be taught by the same method. It just does not work.

I think that the sooner the government recognizes that, and the sooner they allow something to materialize in that area, you will always be put in a situation of thinking that we are the ones that know best, as a government, what the aboriginal people should have and should not have. Part of what we know best is we know about the Dene people, we know about their culture, and we know the methods in which we should deliver that culture. And it never allows the communities to determine that.

This is the difficulty I am having. Again, I realize that the department is doing its best, but that is not good enough. I think you are hearing that in the communities, the methods you teach English with are not the kind of methods you teach aboriginal languages with. Period. It is different. They seem to think that is the only method that is acceptable at this point in time in our history, and I cannot accept that.