Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to advise Members of a new approach to governance training for northern communities.
Mr. Speaker, this government has spent much time discussing the many challenges facing community governments and non-government organizations in the North. We have all recognized the need to strengthen and develop individual and community capacity. A key element in building community capacity is ensuring that elected and appointed leaders have the skills they need to carry out their responsibilities.
Just over a year ago, Municipal and Community Affairs joined forces with the departments of Health and Social Services, Education, Culture and Employment and the federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to develop a generic workshop series on governance. The goal of the workshops is to improve community capacity and local decision-making. The workshops focus on the elements of governance that are common to all elected and appointed governing bodies, including municipal councils, band councils and health and education boards. The workshops, which are offered through the department's School of Community Government, will enable councillors to enhance their knowledge and skills in governance, focusing on the following key areas: roles and responsibilities; leadership; planning; programs and services; community constitutions; financial awareness; governance and the law; the senior administrator; effective meetings; teamwork; exercising authority; and, emerging governance.
Four regional pilot project workshops using the new resources were recently delivered in Rae-Edzo, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Inuvik. Participants included municipal council members and staff, band councillors and representatives of health authorities. The sessions were well-received. Participants identified additional areas where training modules should be developed and several requests have been received to take the training into other communities.
Mr. Speaker, training in the aboriginal languages is also a critical component of the workshop series. In partnership with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the School of Community Governance is prepared to make this training available to any region or community in their aboriginal language. Workshops have recently been provided in the North Slavey and Dogrib languages. Upcoming governance workshops are scheduled in Gameti and Wekweti in the Dogrib language and we hope to offer a workshop in Inuvialuktun in the near future.
Mr. Speaker, the training provided by MACA's School of Community Government and its partners represents a great opportunity to work together to build community capacity in governance, which is essential to effective community operations, programs and services delivery. Developing leadership skills in our communities will also support implementation of aboriginal self-government agreements.
I am proud to work together in partnerships with the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to contribute to the building of northern community capacity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause