Mr. Chair, I look forward to working with the Member over the next three years as we try to develop training that is both appropriate and cost effective. The trick is that we do want to respect and appreciate the Aboriginal cultures, but we also have to do that in the fiscal realities that we’re faced with, which is one of the reasons we are starting the eRecruit. We figure we could get the greatest amount of access to GNWT employees in all communities – Yellowknife included – at all levels, anybody that has access to a computer, so that is a starting point.
I don’t want anybody to think that is the only thing that we’re doing. Individual departments are doing things specific to the departments. Justice has a Corrections Entry Level Training Program. There are Aboriginal components in there, cultural awareness in there. RCMP have made a commitment to having their officers engage with the public and the communities that they serve. In smaller communities, get to know the chief and councils, and where appropriate, get out on the land with the members so that they can get a true sense of what’s going on in the communities and understand the people as much as possible.
Health and Social Services in their Community Health Nurse Development Program has a cultural component. So there are things that are being done out there that are a lot more specific and include getting more into the communities and engage more in the communities. This is a starting point. I want to stress that it’s just a starting point, but we want to get this one in place and make it work as an initial tool to develop awareness of the cultures and
from there we can build. So I look forward to building with Member Yakeleya.