Thank you, Chair. It's an honour to be on this committee.
I'm going to follow up a little bit on Mr. Shory's questions on the aboriginal community. In my riding in Cape Breton, the fastest-growing community I have is the Eskasoni. They're the largest aboriginal community in Atlantic Canada.
One of our main economic drivers in Cape Breton is the work that is in Fort McMurray and places like that.
I see the Eskasoni as just an example of many aboriginal communities. Most of the time they're in remote areas. There's a disconnect with the real economy and what's happening, and they don't have a sense of what opportunities are there.
This morning in The Globe and Mail there's an article that says “Native leaders reject Ottawa's education overhaul”. It seems that the federal government, which is responsible for the education of aboriginals, is not on the same page as the native leaders.
That said, I see the German model. I don't know if you are familiar with the German model with apprentices, with people in many of the skills in industry, but the German education system reaches to a younger age, like a junior high level, finds out what the kids are interested in, shows them different avenues that they can go in, and helps them all the way through that path. It's not as though they wait until grade 12 in Germany and then ask what they want to do; they reach younger people and show them a bit of a framework where they can go and apply.
I think the German model in the aboriginal community should be used more. You'd be going right to younger people and showing them the opportunities, showing them the jobs that are out there in the future and what they could be doing.
I really believe the unions, the private sector, and government have a role in this regard. It's a vested interest, because these are the fastest-growing communities in Canada and they have the highest unemployment. These kids are very capable, but they're not given a pathway to achieve that goal.
I would like to get your comments on what we're doing wrong. I know you gave a few examples, but that's not really what I was hoping for, a few examples. I think the article in The Globe and Mail is saying that this has failed. From the federal government's perspective, there has to be a better model overall for these native communities. I will leave it at that.