We’ve had a long partnership with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and working with the schools and curriculum so that we could introduce school children to trapping, because it’s been not only my view but the view of a lot of people in the education system that this lifestyle and ability to go out and earn a living off the land is something that fosters a lot of qualities that help children become successful in later life. Attributes like decision-making, leadership qualities and high levels of self-esteem have been associated with Take a Kid Trapping. Certainly if you look at Colville Lake where they have a school function to travel abroad, they had very limited opportunities for fundraising. So the school children, along with their principal, took it upon themselves to raise money by trapping and they were very successful in being able to raise funds that would go towards their trip.
Also, I think every school program in every community has a program to introduce school children to on-the-land activities. We have been working very closely with the teachers, and not only the Department of ITI, but wildlife officers from ENR have worked very closely with the teachers and
certainly even the education system, the DEAs and so on, have teachers or educators that are dedicated to this kind of activity. So we recognize it’s a very important role for us to play and we work very closely with the education system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.