Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ve just got some comments, in terms of the department. I understand the department is the second biggest department in terms of its operational budget. I have some interest in terms of trying to at least understand – from my perspective in representing Fort Providence, Kakisa, the reserve, and Enterprise – the rates of success in terms of graduation in terms of high school, university, and whether there is more we can do in terms of encouraging kids to stay in school, and at the same time, ensure they have a value-added educational approach where we are trying to concentrate on academics at the same time trying to balance it off with at least trying to promote youth to understand their culture. I think it’s trying to balance the two.
In some respects, perhaps there are plans when we need to concentrate on academics, ensuring that the kids that graduate are able to make the jump into college or else a vocation where they take on a technical trade or else they advance themselves to the university level of education. It is important at this time in the North that we have successful rates. I would like to see, in terms of the advancement and the progress that the department has been making, I would like to ensure that… I understand
some of the initiatives that might be undertaken to reach those goals in the course of this year.
I have some concerns. One of them, of course, is the Senior Fuel Subsidy. There’s a high cost of living that we experience up here in the North, more so for elders because they are on a fixed income. Sometimes, some elders, it’s just the circumstance, they have to either live by themselves or else, if they have children that they feel that they need to be close to and make a decision to have someone live with them, sometimes they have a hard time trying to ensure that they at least meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for the seniors fuel subsidy. Sometimes they are deemed ineligible. I know the department is trying to apply an initiative that is fair. At the same time, it is resourceful in terms of its efficiency in terms of operating, ensuring that we also meet the needs of elders. I understand it’s a challenge, but perhaps we need to try to at least focus the initiatives. It is there as an existing program to assist elders.
The other area is income support. In some communities we have a high rate of income support in terms of people that are unemployed and don’t have the opportunities in the larger centres and regions where industry has a presence and job opportunities are more abundant in those centres. At the community level, it is a challenge for people to get by and make a living. Income support, I think, has to be delivered in a way that is respectful and that people don’t feel that they’re being downtrodden again in the circumstance of trying to at least make a living that is dignified. I know that is challenging, perhaps, for some families that have to live on income support, but we don’t need to make it disrespectful. We need to ensure that the program is delivered in a very dignified and respectful manner for recipients of income support.
There are some areas I’m interested in. One of them is the youth centre in looking to see if there are ways of trying to collaborate and co-ordinate on the few resources that we might have at the community level to ensure that we develop programs that are fairly efficient, at the same time create at least a forum for youth to come together and work together and experience leadership, at the same time a community service. But sometimes they just don’t have a place that they could hang out. I know there are restraints in terms of capital dollars for building new centres, but perhaps maybe we can begin laying the seeds for perhaps some eventual centres in some of the communities and see if perhaps we can work on that.
Another instance is the idea of a trade centre, perhaps in my home community of Fort Providence. It has been raised and it’s been discussed. At some point I think there could be an opportunity to meet with departmental officials and community leadership. I look forward to that opportunity and to
work with the officials to realize an opportunity to try and establish a trade centre.
Of course, I also have some interest and we have been working on the Early Childhood Development Initiative for some time. There have been some very successful Aboriginal historic programs in some communities, including Fort Providence. I would like to understand what the relationship is that exists now, if there is one. What kind of co-operation? What kind of co-ordination is being done so that we build from people that have worked in the fields, to try to learn from their experience and make successful programs delivered?
I have an interest in history, too. For one, to see if there could be some initiatives to perhaps undertake community history projects so that you have a group of people at least do some research, perhaps in the end have a document that can be shared among all the governments and departments including the communities. I have a particular interest in that.
Languages, of course, I have always believed in my language and to see if there is a way that we can maybe make the link between language and radio. I know there are some very successful and established radio stations across the North, especially small communities. They become a very accepted medium within communities where it is relied upon right from morning until the evening, and not just only for bingos. It is there to give information out. I think it’s undervalued and it could be used to perhaps advance language initiatives. I know there have been some projects that have been successful, but I feel that we perhaps could do more.
With those comments, in closing, I think the school in Fort Providence, under the leadership of our principal Lois, has done some great things. It has been very successful. I look forward to the next year in terms of trying to work with them and do as much as we can. Mahsi.