Evidence of meeting #36 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was nunavut.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
I think it's important. You asked a question, a good question, on a public utility. I thought the response back was about a forty-year return. Was it four or forty?
Coordinator, National Economic Development Committee for Inuit Nanangat, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
It was four years based on the $200—
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
I just wanted to clarify that number, because I thought I heard forty and then I heard four. I wanted to make sure you were both speaking of the same thing.
Conservative
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Okay. Seeing as how it's our slot, and we can voluntarily not give it up, I thought it was appropriate to interject.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Well, if you have a point of order.... I did recognize Mr. Martin, so I could certainly open up another slot here after Mr. Martin, but do you have a point of order to make?
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
I do. Once again, the tables have been moved in this direction in this room, so that we're tripping over each other over here and you guys have a wide corridor over there. It keeps happening.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Okay, we'll take that concern under advisement and we'll communicate with the maintenance staff about that issue. Thank you, Mr. Duncan.
Now let's go over to Mr. Martin for five minutes.
November 5th, 2009 / 12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much, both Ms. Webb and Mr. Miles, for being here.
I have a couple of things. One is that there's a head start early learning program and I wonder if those programs are being used in the north. They're very effective in reducing an array of socio-economic problems.
The second one is just for your information. Money was received by the roots and shoots program. That was Jane Goodall's program for children. It is a program you might want to look at starting to implement, because it gets kids out and active in the communities. They build their own environmental programs, often, and it might be of interest. I can share that context with you afterwards, if you'd like.
My first question to you is this. What is the high school graduation rate for kids within the four land claims areas, looking at it as one, and what percentage of kids actually acquire post-secondary education?
The second question I have is what percentage of your employees are Inuit.
Thank you.
Director, Social, Cultural and Economic Development Department, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
I'll just touch base, and I'll leave it open to Gordon to add on as well.
In regard to the head start early childhood programs, they are in the north. One of the problems we tend to have in the north is the wait list in a lot of the regions. For instance, in my home town of Nain, Nunatsiavut, I have relatives who have young children, and they want to get them into the day care centre, and they're 45th on a waiting list. So the programs are there, but the capacity isn't. Then, of course, because that capacity is so limited, oftentimes the parent can't go back to work because there are no other babysitters or what have you within the community to take children in.
As for high school graduation, our numbers are still fairly low, but we do have graduates. I can get the specific data on that as well. I don't have it in front of me.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Do you have a rough estimate at all, Ms. Webb, a ballpark figure?
Coordinator, National Economic Development Committee for Inuit Nanangat, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
This is anecdotal, and I haven't seen any studies on it, but in Nunavut the high school dropout rate is generally accepted to be about 75%.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
It's a 75% dropout rate, so there's a 25% success rate for getting through high school.
In terms of those acquiring post-secondary education, what is the percentage?
Coordinator, National Economic Development Committee for Inuit Nanangat, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
I don't have a percentage. It's low. I think there are a couple of reasons.
One is that the Inuit are not eligible for the post-secondary funding that's available to some first nations. HRSDC provides training funding; the instructions that were handed down to the AHRDAs were that since post-secondary education generally doesn't lead to jobs until the fourth year, they will fund the fourth year, but they are hesitant to fund the first three years, which means--
Liberal
Coordinator, National Economic Development Committee for Inuit Nanangat, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Well, neither do we.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we know your points about economic development are crucial. For the collective benefit of the committee when you go away, if you'd provide to this committee your problems and your solutions in terms of enabling kids to acquire these skill sets, it would be very valuable.
Thank you.
Coordinator, National Economic Development Committee for Inuit Nanangat, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
I think there should also be a change in the AHRDA guidelines, because there is a huge need. Anyone who does evaluations in the north repeatedly identifies that there's a need for Inuit with post-secondary education, skills, and training, yet the access to funding to allow them to go to those institutions is not there.
The Nunavut government has financial assistance for Nunavut students. That is generally not enough to cover the full costs of student tuition, accommodations, and travel. What has happened within Nunavut is that the AHRDA holders, the CEDOs, work with the Government of Nunavut to supplement the available funds that the Government of Nunavut has so that a student can actually receive enough money to attend either a training course or a diploma or certificate program. The minute you get into universities, you run into some significant problems, both from a cost point of view and from an eligibility point of view.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
It seems as if the kids are almost set up for failure, and--
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
We're really out of time, Mr. Martin; I'm sorry. We're over time.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Thank you very much.
I'm going to take one of the government spots to do a couple of administrative things. Then I'll ask a couple of questions, if I can get through that in the time allowed.
In your opening comments, Ms. Webb, you made reference to a couple of different items. I wonder if it would be possible for us to receive these documents for the benefit of the committee. The first you referred to was an MOU signed by INAC and Inuit leaders in 2008, which led to the formation of NEDCIN. Second, you mentioned a work plan that NEDCIN had done up. It would be very helpful if we could get a copy of that as well. Third, you referred to a position that you took in respect to working with CanNor and to that relationship. You mentioned, for example, a position on how ITK might work with the agency. Finally, quite a number of draft documents were mentioned at the end of your presentation. I accept, of course, that they are in draft form, but if they could be available for our consideration, it would be extremely helpful.
I'll go now to my questions.
First, several times you made reference in a roundabout way to the fact that things are done a certain way in southern Canada, and that when we export that approach to the north, it becomes problematic. I think there was a reference to the education program and I think there were others. Do you have some thoughts on how that cultural difference would be best addressed? What would you recommend to begin to address that problem and make sure the programs or initiatives, when they are implemented in the north, could at least consider that issue?
Director, Social, Cultural and Economic Development Department, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Maybe I'll start, and I'll leave it to Gordon to add on.
The main recommendation coming out of ITK would be to have consultation with Inuit land claims organizations and Inuit communities.
Every year, ITK does what has in the past been called the Arctic tour. I think the name is actually changing. We invite individuals within the federal system to come to one of the regions with us. We actually take the federal representatives to some of the houses, the school, the nursing station, and what have you. It's completely organized by ITK. We go to one of the regions. It provides an opportunity for individuals working within the federal system to be on the ground and see what it's like to actually live in the north and hear from community members what their experiences are and what their problems are.
I would say that consultation with ITK as well as with the regions would be helpful in that regard.