Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Feb. 7th, 2019

[Karen Campbell]

In fact, since under the AHRDS, starting in 1999, we've had urban services organizations. They've been supported throughout. In the move to a distinctions-based approach, we needed to ensure that there continued to be a mechanism for supporting these independent urban organizations, so a fourth stream was created, an urban, non-affiliated indigenous peoples funding stream.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I think, in follow-up to Mr. Amos, information on who the 84 holders are would be valuable to submit to the clerk.

[Jean-Pierre Gauthier]

Sure.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I think the Auditor General did note also that you couldn't demonstrate that the funding is being based on current needs.

I think one is current needs, but I think there's also capacity to....

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

You've run out of time, so you'll have to be done.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

Thank you.

We're all rivetted with the question.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

Madam Chair, could I just get clarification on....

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

I'm sorry. We have a speaking order. I can try to put you on.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

It will be five seconds.

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

I believe the next speaker is MP Yves Robillard.

If you wish to share....

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

It'll take no more than five seconds. I have one quick question.

[Yves Robillard, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, Lib.]

Yes.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I just want clarity on the number of ASETS holders there are.

[Jean-Pierre Gauthier]

There are 85.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

There are 85. I just wanted to make sure I heard that right.

Thank you.

[Yves Robillard]

Thank you very much for meeting with us today.

How will the indigenous skills and employment training program differ from its predecessor when it comes to securing higher-quality better-paying jobs?

[Karen Campbell]

The intention behind the new program is to provide additional resources and the ability to support individuals—both the furthest from the labour market and those who are engaged in the labour market—who require additional skills. I think that's really important in communities in particular where it supports building that human capacity for governance and other key jobs. Through those mechanisms, then, it's ensuring that individuals aren't simply being trained to a certain standard to enter the labour market and then receive no further support to improve their skills throughout and then obtain better and higher paying jobs.

[Yves Robillard]

In the past, our committee has heard about the challenge indigenous communities have retaining professional talent post-training. Will the indigenous skills and employment training program help with that, and if so, how?

[Jean-Pierre Gauthier]

The program, launching soon—April 1—covers a period of 10 years and gives service providers much more flexibility. It will be possible to intervene multiple times and thus deliver locally tailored services to clients on an ongoing basis. This will help clients retain, and even strengthen, their knowledge, skills and certification year after year.

[Yves Robillard]

Can you tell the committee how the new program will help change the relationship between the department and the indigenous organizations responsible for service delivery?

[Jean-Pierre Gauthier]

For a few years now, the department has been working to really strengthen relationships and co-operation with indigenous organizations. From the terms and conditions to the contribution agreements, the program was designed in a way that recognizes the organizations have considerable flexibility and autonomy.

We've begun building a new relationship in which the department supports the efforts deployed by communities for communities. The new program is designed to continue that relationship, and we'll see where it takes us. Eventually, it might even be possible for the department to withdraw completely from the program—if that were the will of the government, of course—but we aren't there yet.

For the time being, we are helping service providers build their capacity to deliver the services, making sure they have the resources they need through the available funding, and ensuring they have tools like the flexibility I talked about. That way, they will be able to provide service and adapt to local realities.

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

Next is MP Arnold Viersen.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to our guests for being here.

I'm going to take a bit of a different tack. I found that the Auditor General was a little harsh on you. From where I come I know a number of the organizations that you fund very well, such as the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council and the Rupertsland Institute. They do great work.

I don't think the entirety of their funding comes from your organization; they are able to get funding from a number of sources. I know that the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council, for example, gets provincial education funding, and they mix that funding with the funding they get from you. There's apprenticeship funding that they get from the province, and they also use funding that comes from you for that purpose.

Do the two organizations which I mentioned represent the norm? Would you say that the experience you have across the country is similar to that with those organizations?

I can understand why there isn't clear reporting, because by the time the funds reach Kee Tas Kee Now, they are mixed. They get funds from their local band council, from the province and from the federal government, and it becomes mixed around. They'll take funding from a local university that they....

Is that kind of story common across the country?

[Karen Campbell]

The two organizations you mentioned are high capacity, well functioning. I would say this is similar to what we see across the country. The strength of this program is in the organizations that design and deliver the programming, with whom we've had strong partnerships for decades.

I want to quickly point out that the Auditor General didn't speak about financial reporting at all.