Evidence of meeting #141 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was training.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
10:35 a.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you so much, Madam Chair.
I want to thank everybody so much for being here with us.
I'm going to start with Jessie.
Good morning. I'm sure you're going to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and up to 18°C back home. So enjoy and send me photos.
I really appreciated your testimony. I think one of the parts you bring that's unique to this is that you've worked with indigenous communities across Canada. I'm wondering, as we're looking specifically at capacity-building and training, whether there are major themes that you're seeing across Canada, in the communities in which you're working, that are barriers to those two particular things, training for their community members and capacity-building.
10:35 a.m.
Partner and Senior Planner, Alderhill Planning Inc.
One of the previous speakers mentioned rural depopulation being an issue. I think the government, in some cases, exacerbates this by centralizing essential services in urban centres. I grew up in a town of 4,000 people. We saw, over the years, those services centralized in your hometown, three hours away from us. That makes it a challenge, and I see that across Canada.
I also see that varying types of relationships with Indigenous Services Canada have been a barrier. In British Columbia, I would say that, compared to the rest of Canada, we have quite a positive relationship, and communities are allowed to exercise self-government in many ways through many programs. I do not see that in the rest of Canada. There are particular provinces and territories where the relationships between the communities and their funding service officers or other folks in federal government are totally toxic. I have first-hand experience of the differences in relationships, that systemic racism, in other provinces, which I haven't really seen as much in British Columbia.
The third and final thing I'd like to mention here is that access to land is an issue. Obviously, in British Columbia, we're unceded territory. The question of jurisdiction, the return of those traditional territories to nations, is a make-or-break issue when it comes to capacity development and talent retention. We cannot have healthy economies without a land base on which to grow our economies and our economic development.
In other parts of Canada, where nations have secured stronger access to their land base or stronger compensation in lieu of access to that land base, I see a lot more capacity-building happening. Where that land is not accessible or has been degraded over time by industry or other activities outside of a nation's control, I see big challenges.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you, Jessie. I really appreciate what you said earlier about accessing services and the challenges that more rural and remote communities face.
I guess the other part of the question is this: What are the specific barriers for the rural and remote communities across Canada that you've worked with? Are they just about accessing services? Are they about sending people away and having a hard time getting them to return home and to do the work? What are those challenges, specifically, for those more rural communities?
10:40 a.m.
Partner and Senior Planner, Alderhill Planning Inc.
It's very holistic. I worked with the Sayisi Dene in Tadoule Lake, northern Manitoba. They're a one-hour flight north of Thompson, fly-in only. In that community, it's a very basic thing. If a lock breaks on the band office, it could take them weeks to bring in a locksmith to replace it. In that time, their assets are unprotected.
It's a diesel-dependent community with an ice road. With climate change, as the length of time that the ice road is open for diesel trucks to come in shrinks with the warming climate, that community faces growing crises as diesel runs out every year. In that community, certainly bringing in teachers or training programs and even having access to the Internet—all of these very basic things—are incredible challenges that we wouldn't experience in other, more urban places. Yes, access to those basic infrastructural services and supports is key.
Then also, of course, there's the isolation. That community was relocated, so there are mental health challenges that come from the relocation process and the systemic racism they've experienced. These issues are all very complicated.
Again, like other speakers, I would advocate for a community-by-community response.
In this particular case, I would also advocate for off-grid alternative energy sources. All of these things that strengthen the resilience of rural and remote communities also strengthen their resilience when it comes to climate change or other issues. Independent food production, independent power production and the strengthening of their community-based decision-making structures I think are essential in capacity-building and talent retention, but also in other significant areas.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you so much, Jessie.
I'm going to come over here and talk to the amazing doctors who are doing all of this great work in rural and remote communities. I just thought it was amazing.
One thing you mentioned in your presentation is that 12% of your graduates are indigenous. I just want to hear more about how you're making that work in the communities.
10:40 a.m.
Dean and Chief Executive Offier, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
As I said, our selection and admissions process favours applicants who come from northern Ontario or from similar northern, remote, rural, indigenous and francophone backgrounds. Indigenous applicants have a boost, shall we say, in being considered.
Having said that, we don't have set-aside places for indigenous students. The reasoning for that was advice we had from indigenous people who said, “As soon as you have a quota, as soon as you have reserved seats, you create a stigma that these students are coming in through the back door or the side door.” The indigenous applicants have to compete for their place in the school and meet the same standards as all the other applicants, but we do provide them with assistance. There's an indigenous admissions stream, where potential indigenous applicants are given assistance to present themselves as best they can in their written application. Then only indigenous applicants who are called for interviews are given special training to prepare for the form of interview that we have.
It's roughly 2% of our applicant pool who are indigenous and 12% of our students, so you can see that what we do actually does make a difference, and 12% of our graduates are indigenous physicians.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
I know I'm almost out of time, but I really wanted to express my appreciation. That is exactly what we need. The young indigenous people need to see amazing leaders.
I thank you for that.
10:40 a.m.
Dean and Chief Executive Offier, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
I'll tell you one story, if I may. There's a place called Chapleau, which is in the central part of northern Ontario. It's two hours from anywhere—quite remote. It's a microcosm of Canada, really: 50% of the population is French-speaking, with three first nations nearby.
Chapleau went for nearly seven years without a permanent doctor. Since July 2012, they've had three homegrown physicians. The three of them grew up in Chapleau. They did their MD and their residency training with NOSM, and now they practise together in Chapleau.
Doris Mitchell is from Brunswick House First Nation, and this past July, she moved her clinic to Chapleau Cree First Nation. She's providing care for indigenous and non-indigenous clientele on the reserve.
10:45 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal MaryAnn Mihychuk
That's a great story, and we want to see more of that, absolutely.
I want to thank everybody for coming out. We appreciate it. I know that many of you travelled a long way. Thank you for sharing your success stories. We're very impressed with the things you've done in Saskatchewan and northern Ontario.
All members, thank you very much.
Meegwetch.
The meeting is adjourned.