You are right in saying the majority of indigenous—and remember that indigenous includes Métis, first nations and Inuit—now, of course, do not live on reserve. Métis would not live on reserve in any event, nor would Inuit, but the majority of first nations people still reside on reserve. There are different ways that we cut the statistic. It doesn't really matter which statistic you pick up. I think the Auditor General told us that fewer than four out of 10 graduate from high school on reserve. Let's look at off reserve and let's look at indigenous writ large: 87% completed high school or a higher credential whereas 69% indigenous did not. There's still a gap, still a disparity.
You're right that my focus is very much not on emphasizing the gap; it is on closing it. The work we do ranges from youth empowerment conferences for young people.... We are about to have one in Calgary, in fact, in February, for 1,000 indigenous students, to get them to focus on being part of a critical mass that can create a different future for their family and their communities.
We also provide mentorship so that those students who are nearing graduation have a mentor who is working, because our students don't have a network. We don't have Uncle Bob who knows sister Sheila. We don't have those pathways. We've now cascaded the mentorship from a person employed to a new graduate, and now to high school. This is having an impact, because we're connecting the students where they live, in urban, rural or fly-in communities, and getting them to see what is possible to achieve their potential. Mentorship has been a key tool.
The chair will know I could go on about this even longer, but I see him out of the corner of my eye wanting to give other members a chance to ask a question.
Thank you very much.