Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The social and economic challenges are intertwined. It is very hard to identify them one by one. It is important to work with partners and adopt a consistent approach and, I hope, as with the kind of program I have just described, a partnership-based approach. Programs can be adapted at the local level.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, there is flexibility, as well as measures to fully understand the needs of residents and employers, and to try to find solutions that are acceptable to both parties. I mentioned our sector council on aboriginal labour. It works very closely with large companies to understand the traditional aspects of life in the north and to adapt to that kind of situation.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'd be happy to, because it's a fairly innovative approach to program delivery that is proving itself to be quite effective. At its foundation, as I was noting, is the whole concept of partnership. This isn't one player taking ownership of the issue. It's all the players coming together and actually forming a new incorporated entity with a board of directors that would include representatives from the employer, from the local community, from training providers, from territorial governments, and from funding partners.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't have the Baker Lake numbers right in front of me, but I can speak to some of the other projects. For example, we have a very large project with the Yukon Mine Training Association. There are training opportunities for 500 aboriginal people in that program, targeting close to 300 long-term jobs.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  A number of new directions will be the focal point for the new strategy. One relates to two of the themes I was just speaking about, the importance of partnership approaches and demand-driven training investments. There are a lot of innovative approaches across the country under the AHRDS.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The way the service delivery is going to be implemented is that there is a requirement for business plans. We're not having a competitive request for proposals, but we expect an organization that wants to continue to deliver services in a given geographic catchment area will submit a business plan.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll just briefly add that in our training investments we're not only trying to align with private sector demand, we're trying to align with basic infrastructure investments too, so that the infrastructure spending that Mr. Forbes was explaining, we think, has considerable skills dimensions around it.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'd be happy to respond to that. I think you're speaking to two major issues here: one, the importance of coordination of investments, and the other, making sure those investments are actually aligned with local needs and priorities. Those are both huge priorities for us. We're not just doing skills development for the sake of skills development.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I can say two things with respect to Nunavik. First, we have a special agreement with that region in terms of the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy, in recognition of the fact that the region has special status. It involves more autonomy with respect to service delivery and a more comprehensive range of services than other service delivery agreements.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I will try to answer that. Of course, it is the responsibility of the territorial government. However, there is an important relationship with training programs such as the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Program. Through that program, many employers invest in essential skills training for workers, in order to meet the needs of each employer in the region.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I can share some numbers as to what we're currently spending in 2009-10. I have that program in my notes as well. We're spending a total of $1.8 million in 2009-10 in the three territories. What I don't have, though, are their comparatives from the previous year. That is something I would have to follow up on.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Are you referring to programs delivered through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation? I suspect that's what you're referring to, which is not an area of programming that I'm familiar with or am able to speak about. My colleague may be able to speak to that broadly.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. My name is Paul Thompson. I am the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister for the Skills and Employment Branch at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. I am pleased to appear today to provide the committee with information pertaining to our labour market programs that we deliver in the territories as well as to discuss some of the linkages between HRSDC and the new Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, or CanNor.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, of course. I apologize. The northern population growth rate is nearly double the Canadian average, with a large aboriginal and youth population, especially in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, where two-fifths of the population is under the age of 25. Labour market performance in the territories has been strong overall.

Human Resources committee  Yes. The Statistics Canada labour force survey would be one of the sources of information. The data we have would be drawn largely from Statistics Canada.