Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That retention strategy is not dissimilar on first nations from what it is in non-first-nations communities. Our research shows right now that the average young Canadian spends on average 2.2 years in an environmental job in Canada. This is not only in aboriginal communities or in first nations, it is certainly across the country.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't have that direct knowledge with respect to specifics, but I can tell you that our staff spends a tremendous amount of time bringing together focus groups from across the country. We'll bring together a variety of aboriginal individuals and college and university faculty and government officials who are involved in the land-use plan, and we'll document those competencies, skills, and knowledge that are required.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  These particular programs were developed in conjunction with the aboriginal community, so there is a tremendous amount of aboriginal input into it, including elders who take part in all of the programming. It's not just a matter of looking at the western scientific knowledge that is used in a regulatory framework for developing land-use plans and how that fits together.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  They do, and we developed a curriculum for their program.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There's a whole variety of careers they can move into, whether they be technical, communications, humanities, social science, science, or engineering. I believe, as well, that we have to recognize that these folks are indeed looking for what they can do in the future and how they can make a difference.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, I believe we're looking at it in a realistic fashion, and that is, how many could be employed?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That is the answer.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you. I think you've brought up an excellent point. We've looked at and know about the whole concept of economic development officers in first nations and how they fit within the community. Our organization has strongly supported looking at environment or sustainability development officers.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Retention strategies no doubt require that you keep the individuals' interest and that they feel as though they're making a real difference within their community. If you have a defined position in which they are in charge of very specific activities around water, waste water, around solid waste....

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The feedback we get after they receive training, in most cases, is the fact that we have changed their lives. They did not recognize there were these opportunities for them to do these particular activities. They're able to now go within their family, within their family unit, within their community, and make a difference in that community.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We would more than willing to work with any group in order to put that together. Of course, it will take some funding--that goes without saying. But building those partnerships is something we have already done. As a result, I believe our mechanism and our standard operating procedures for documenting national occupational standards can be used in this situation, and it could be done in very quick order.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you very much. I agree with you. I believe it's absolutely critical that we form these partnerships on either publicly funded activities or privately funded energy or mining projects. We need to ensure full participation. I point back to the FCSAP program, the federal contaminated sites action plan, which you are all well aware of, which is some $3.3 billion for the cleanup of federally owned contaminated sites.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We develop and document national occupational standards for environmental employment. We do that in very short order, in partnership with organizations and individuals involved in that. They become the national standard we certify against. For example, we just completed and started the certification of professional meteorologists in Canada, in combination with Environment Canada meteorological services.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Ms. Duncan.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think as a result of Kashechewan and a variety of the other activities that occurred around aboriginal drinking water, it became very clear that in a lot of cases the traditional provincial mechanisms were not working, nor were the circuit rider programs, and there was a real need to look at the establishment of a federal program to look at how we could develop that capacity.