Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Aboriginal Peoples
Issue 7 - Evidence, February 25, 2003
OTTAWA, Tuesday, February 25, 2003
The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples met this day at 9:03 a.m. to study issues affecting urban Aboriginal youth in Canada and, in particular, to examine access, provision and delivery of services; policy and jurisdictional issues; employment and education; access to economic opportunities; youth participation and empowerment; and other related matters.
Senator Terry Stratton (Acting Chairman) in the Chair.
[English]
The Acting Chairman: I should like to ask for your agreement to have Senator Christensen take the chair in my absence, as I have another meeting to attend at 9:30. Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Acting Chairman: This morning we have with us Mr. Cotter from the Government of Saskatchewan.
Welcome. I know that you have a presentation to make. Please proceed. We will then follow with questions.
Brent Cotter, Q.C., Deputy Minister, Government Relations and Aboriginal Affairs, Government of Saskatchewan: I have a presentation that will take approximately 20 minutes.
I wish to express our appreciation to the Senate committee for the invitation to speak about Aboriginal issues. I will do so primarily in the context of the Province of Saskatchewan. My minister at the time, the Honourable Ron Osika, accepted the invitation. Unfortunately the ministerial portfolios have been changed in the last 10 days and he will not be with us today. However, he asked me to express his regrets at not being able to make this presentation himself. My new minister, the Honourable Eldon Lautermilch conveys the same message to you. The transition made it difficult for a minister to make it here today.
I have distributed coloured slides to you. I will try to speak briefly to the material that you have in an effort to do three things today.
First, I will provide you with information from Statistics Canada about Aboriginal people, primarily the Aboriginal people in Saskatchewan.
Second, I will speak about two or three potentially groundbreaking strategies in which the Province of Saskatchewan is engaged that are potentially groundbreaking.
Third, I will offer a few suggestions for the most effective ways that the needs of Aboriginal people can be met in Saskatchewan and across Canada.
The main discussion regarding Saskatchewan's policy work will revolve around two themes. The first strategy is entitled "The Métis and Off-Reserve First Nations Strategy.'' This strategy comprises the work of a dozen government departments working together with one government-approved budget. It is based on advice that we received from urban Aboriginal people in Saskatchewan in relation to two province-wide consultations that were held over the last couple of years.
We submitted this strategy to be considered for an innovative management award by the Institute of Public Administration Canada last year. There were 132 submissions: the Government of Canada submitted 24. The "Métis and Off-Reserve First Nations Strategy'' came second and received the silver award.
I made a presentation and when the awards were handed out, I asked for the material to file an appeal so that the strategy could finish first. Nevertheless, it was recognition by outsiders that this was a valuable strategic direction for the provinces, for the Government of Canada and, more importantly, for urban Aboriginal people.
The second theme of the main discussion includes the province's engagement in self-government and self- government negotiations in the province, which I will speak to later.
I will go over a few quick points that are significant to Saskatchewan and to the direction that we are trying to take. Our future in Saskatchewan depends on our ability to ensure that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people no longer live in cultures that are isolated from one another.
The "Métis and Off-Reserve First Nations Strategy'' is the province's comprehensive, provincial response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People. The response is the most comprehensive one in the country and, the most effective one to address the circumstances of Aboriginal people.
The strategy is based on advice that we received from Aboriginal people and from the Royal Commission, that is, building from the outside in with respect to our approaches. This is our practical agenda for addressing the needs and circumstances of Aboriginal people. It combines with a parallel strategy related to the notion of self-government. Together, these two strategies constitute what I like to describe as the four pillars of our objectives with and for Aboriginal people: social health, economic prosperity, greater autonomy, and greater fiscal and political accountability. It would all be done within a context that recognizes the cultural values and significance of Aboriginal people and their own cultural identities.
The strategy is unprecedented in that such a great number of departments are working on one interlocking strategy. It is the hardest work I have done in 10 years of public service, but it is the most rewarding to a community that is in the greatest need in Saskatchewan.
The slides that are contained in your material show some of that statistical information that identifies both the need and the significance in the province. The first slide, No. 3, shows that Saskatchewan's Aboriginal population is 13.5 per cent of its total population. This figure is based on the 2001 census, which Statistics Canada claims to be the best result they have ever had from Aboriginal people, in terms of completion of the survey; and that Saskatchewan's results are the best in the country, in terms of responses by Aboriginal people.
Senator St. Germain: What is your population?
Mr. Cotter: Saskatchewan has about 1 million people, give or take 10,000.
Slide No. 4, shows you the growth to date in the percentage of Aboriginal people. In 15 years, the percentage of Aboriginal people has increased from 7.8 per cent to 13.5 per cent. That figure indicates a rapid growth in the population. The distribution is predominantly two-thirds First Nations, about one-third Metis and a small number of Inuit.
Slide No. 6 shows the projected figures for Aboriginal people in our province in the year 2045. About 40 years from now, it is projected that Aboriginal people will comprise one-third of the total population of the province. This figure is based on work done by the University of Saskatchewan and not done by Aboriginal people or by the government. The university compiled these figures in 1997, using a base for 2001 that was 1 per cent lower. Realistically, this is a moderate, maybe conservative, estimate of the growth in the Aboriginal population, compared to non-Aboriginal, in the province. That is significant in terms of the present circumstances of Aboriginal people being in greater need of social services and social supports, given that their levels of income and contribution to society per capita are less than for non-Aboriginal people. It will be difficult to support a large, significantly dependent population, particularly one that will grow to such a size in proportion to the rest of the population.
The first significant feature is rapid growth in Aboriginal population in Western Canada, generally, but most notably in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The age of Aboriginal people is also a factor. The next slide shows you that the median age for Aboriginal people is 20; for First Nations people, it is 18.4; and for non-Aboriginal people, it is 38.8. The population is young compared to the non-Aboriginal population. That, in part, fuels the social and economic challenge, identifies the economic opportunity, and helps to identify the rapid growth in Aboriginal populations. Aboriginal people have more children per capita and they are disproportionately represented in the kind of child-bearing and to-be-child-bearing years.
The next slide shows that distribution and you will note the significant percentage of the Aboriginal population that is young compared to the small percentage of the Aboriginal population that is elderly.
The following slides identify that distribution of Aboriginal people, significantly represented at the lower end of the population. Today, one in four children in Saskatchewan is Aboriginal. Where do they live?
Slides No. 10 and No. 11 show that, in the last 15 years, there has been a significant migration of First Nations people from on-reserve to off-reserve communities in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford. This is a jurisdictional, social and economic issue. I will say a word or two about that before I am finished.
Although the distribution of on-reserve and off-reserve is split about 50/50 for Aboriginal people, the representation of young people is greater in our towns and cities. There is a larger percentage of young people under 14 living in our towns and cities. A portion of that percentage is Metis but another portion comes from a skewing of the presence of First Nations young people in towns and cities as opposed to on the reserves. That occurs, allegedly, because of better economic opportunities and, perhaps, better schooling and a larger social world.
Senators may also see a slide that indicates the distribution in our major towns and cities. Most notably, you will see that Prince Albert and North Battleford have high numbers. In all of these categories, Saskatchewan cities are seeing the fastest growth of the proportion of Aboriginal people in their cities of anywhere in the country. There is no other province, in the various groupings that are done for metropolitan areas, that has seen the same rate of growth of Aboriginal peoples in their populations.
I want to digress for a moment and introduce a short personal story. I grew up in Kamsack Saskatchewan. It was a community of 2,000-3,000 people in, basically, "Indian country.'' Within about 15-20 kilometres, there were three, fairly substantial reserves.
My father was the mayor of Kamsack for a time and he is a warm, decent kind of being without a racial bone in his body. I do not recall, during his time as mayor, any Aboriginal person, at any time, being in our home, although my parents entertained a lot. I do not think that it was because of any animus but because of the existence of two solitudes in that society — Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal. Most of it was fuelled by a degree of distance.
Although the reserves were close by, the only contact that occurred was when we were shopping in the town.
Whether or not you like it, the option of two solitudes is no longer available. These statistics show there is a profound degree of intersection between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. It is fundamentally important for the social health of our communities that we find healthy ways for that integration, that intersection of two cultures, two societies, and in many cases, two races, to be positive and constructive rather than negative and dysfunctional.
Looking at the statistical information you would expect that the working age population of Aboriginal people might be smaller than the non-Aboriginal population. This is true, and shown on slides 14 and 15.
However, with respect to the working age population, the percentage of Aboriginal people in the younger bands that is up to age 34 is significant. That presents a significant opportunity if that group of Aboriginal youth can be reasonably well supported, become well educated and become enthusiastic about participating in Saskatchewan society and economy.
At the present time, though, labour force participation rates for Aboriginal people are disappointingly low. You will see a chart on page 16 which shows improvement in virtually all of the categories of labour force participation, and that Metis participate nearly at the same level as non-Aboriginal people. However, First Nations people participate noticeably less. Each is improving in our province, but not fast enough for us to be confident about the future.
Unemployment rates are improving, with the exception of First Nations people on-reserve, but improving from a worrisome base. Between 1996 and 2001, non-Aboriginal unemployment went down by about one per cent in Saskatchewan. It went down in a greater number for Aboriginal people, but from very high numbers: Overall, it was probably in excess of 20 per cent. Aboriginal people are four to five times more likely to be unemployed.
The situation is strikingly similar for Aboriginal youth. The employment participation rate for Aboriginal youth is quite low compared to non-Aboriginal youth, and the unemployment rate for Aboriginal youth is three times that figure in non-Aboriginal youth.
In terms of income, Aboriginal people are earning slightly over half of what non-Aboriginal people earn per capita, although these figures are five years old. In a few months we will have better data, and we should see some improvements there. These figures begin to illustrate some of the challenges for lower income people based partly on education: Many more Aboriginal people have much less education than non-Aboriginals.
A higher percentage of Aboriginal children are in the care of our social service agencies. That figure is 70 per cent. These are quite recent numbers. About 70 per cent of offenders who are incarcerated in Saskatchewan are Aboriginal, and 60 per cent of the offenders on probation are Aboriginal, notwithstanding that they represent about one-fifth of our population.
You can see why it was important for us to find a practical agenda that can address these problems. We borrowed between 60 to 70 recommendations from the Royal Commission and the provincial governments that related to Aboriginal people.
We have consulted in two province-wide consultations to develop what we like to call our "practical agenda.'' The vision of it is meaningful change in the lives of Aboriginal people over a period of one generation. This work was done mostly in 1998 and 1999. Consultations began in 1999 to see if we were going in the right direction.
The answer is that the set of recommendations that we have moved forward on correspond with community priorities. On slide 29, you will see the main themes of the communities, which have been captured in four goals on slide 30. These goals follow each other; that is, success in education, preparation for work, participation in the economy either by working or having economic opportunities, and a more generic goal, that is, to strengthen the base of social health for Aboriginal people by improving individual and community well-being.
We have had 12 different government departments work toward this one strategy to identify performance measures and outcomes and the kinds of investments that need to be made in schooling, job opportunities, economic development, and in strengthening the health of Aboriginal communities.
The province made a series of investments in 2001, and preserved those in 2002. The funding is now in excess of $100 million. I am an advocate of the strategy, and hope that the province will invest more funds in our present budget. A second round of province wide consultations, led by ministers, have been conducted with the Aboriginal peoples. For the most part the strategy has been endorsed with some advice that a strong focus should be placed on Aboriginal youth.
Parenthetically, I wish to say that much of the rest of it identifies some of the progress we have made. It is not overwhelming, but there has been progress made. One significant achievement is that we have high levels of Aboriginal peoples in post-secondary education. This is somewhat contrary to what I have shared with you today, but is encouraging nevertheless.
The strategy is based on an expected partnership with the federal government to address the needs of urban Aboriginal people. We have struggled to achieve that partnership in a grand way. There are a series of specific pilots that are positive, but we do not have a comprehensive intersection with the federal government in relation to the strategy.
I will not speak much about the individual achievements; they are captured in the slides. I would be happy to respond to any questions in that regard.
We see the practical agenda being interconnected with the strategy where the province has been prepared to engage in self-government negotiations with Canada and with two groups of First Nations; one in relation to the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, the nine First Nations in Northwest Saskatchewan. The second is a comprehensive self- government negotiation with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians Nations in Canada that represents the whole province. The objective there is to advance autonomy and the accountability goals I mentioned earlier.
Let me close by making four observations that arise from both the strategy that I have described and the data that is in the material that you have. To some extent, these are recommendations or observations of relevance to policy and other decision makers.
First, particularly in Western Canada, it is imperative that we focus our efforts on Aboriginal youth, especially urban Aboriginal youth in the Western provinces. The low median age, the need and the opportunity are great. If you look at our workforce prospects nationally and in Saskatchewan, without the significant increases of young Aboriginal people joining the workforce, we will have a hard time meeting our labour force needs.
The Acting Chairman: If I could interrupt, I have to run to another meeting. However, I would like to ask you a couple of questions.
It looks like the Aboriginal people are becoming more educated. What percentage finish high school?
In the 1980s, I was on the United Way board of Winnipeg. In Winnipeg, we were very concerned about the Aboriginal question, simply because of not getting educated. When you do not complete high school, you cannot get work. We know that is changing, and the signs are encouraging.
However, there is a certain track that you must look at of sustainability. When is the progress sufficient that you can sustain what you are trying to do? In essence, that becomes the question. After a while, you fall on the other side of the curve and start to lose out dramatically. I am hoping that we are not there. I do not think we are, but I would like to know.
Mr. Cotter: You can get to a point where you have a spiral going upward which becomes self-sustaining. You can also get to a pathological spiral that is going downward.
For a period of time we were struggling not to let the pathological spiral overtake us.
In our province at least, Aboriginal youth are not completing high school at the rate of non-aboriginal youth. We have seen small, but only marginal gains in that area.
It is one of the reasons why a large portion of this investment in "Métis and Off-Reserve First Nations Strategy'' has been in community schools. A large amount of the money has gone into community elementary and high schools.
The community schools tend to be in the poorer parts of our urban centres, and predominantly, support Aboriginal youth. They are inner city schools servicing areas where urban Aboriginal families have gathered.
Our sense is that just declaring that Aboriginal kids need to do better in school does not quite do it. There is a need for a more receptive environment; adjustments to the curriculum; social support so that the kids are not hungry at school; and additional support for the family. The community schools are well positioned in our model to try to meet these needs.
The signs of recognition of the point that you made are in the post-secondary education numbers. In the applied institutes, aboriginal people are disproportionately represented. They are present at above their percentage of the Saskatchewan population. It is very encouraging. Aboriginals are almost at their representative levels in the universities. They still have to succeed, but you have to be there first before you can succeed.
The Acting Chairman: What about community colleges?
Mr. Cotter: It is the same. The 18 per cent includes community colleges. I do not know what they are called in Manitoba.
The Acting Chairman: They are referred to as community colleges.
Mr. Cotter: We call them applied arts and sciences centres. Our problem is how to get those kinds of numbers when you have such low levels of performance in high school. We have two sources for advanced education representation.
Let me use a sports analogy. Post-secondary Aboriginal students are made up of two pools. One is draft picks, kids coming out of high school and going on, and the other is free agents, kids coming back to education as mature students. We need to increase the number of draft picks making their way to universities and community colleges. The signs are reasonably positive. The successes are modest. If we do not succeed we have a real challenge ahead of us.
The Acting Chairman: I will be departing now. I pass the chair to Senator Christensen.
Senator Ione Christensen (Acting Chairman) in the Chair.
Mr. Cotter: The first point is in relation to youth. If a government is participating in a strategy that is seen as attempting to address the needs of Aboriginal people, one of the tests of its value is whether it will respond to the needs of Aboriginal youth. If the answer to that is yes, it is worth looking at in a serious way. It may not be the right thing to do, but it has promise. If it does not respond to the needs of Aboriginal youth, I would think twice about it.
I made the same observation to a provincial justice committee. Many of the challenges that Aboriginal people have are with the justice system, and the justice system with Aboriginal people. Aboriginal young people sometimes have social dysfunctions in their personal lives and with their families. Getting at the needs of youth is the number one priority for any strategies that governments develop.
I tried to make my next point in the little story about my father regarding inter-sectorial engagement. This is not only a new reality for provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba, it is fundamentally important for the social health of the entire society.
We fear most what we know least. Not knowing Aboriginal culture and not being engaged with Aboriginal people creates distance. We need to find ways of bridging that distance, whether through cultural awareness programs or opportunities for greater integration in social and recreational activities by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
I do not know all of the answers. However, I do know that if we do not do that, instead of a healthy society in Western Canada, we will have a challenging, conflicting and potentially dysfunctional society in the decades to come.
Third, and I mention this in the context of justice, we need to focus on constructive developments for Aboriginal people; recreation, cultural activities, certain kinds of justice that are forward-going as opposed to harsh and cut portions of people's lives out from under them.
Last, and I tried to make this point on the jurisdictional dimension; we need collaboration among governments in addressing this issue. We need more focus on cooperation, and less focus on jurisdiction.
The Saskatchewan government's view is that the Government of Canada has primary jurisdictional responsibility for Aboriginal people whether they live on or off reserve. However, we are prepared to lay down our jurisdictional swords, and get on with solving the problems. The Aboriginal people need governments to support them and to give them the chance to live productive and fulfilling lives.
We have been urging the Government of Canada to step toward the problem, rather than away from it.
The last slide refers to a quote by Chief Poundmaker, a great chief in the history of Saskatchewan. One of the First Nations bands is named after him. I will paraphrase a comment that he made concerning conflict: We all know the story about the man who sat by the trial too long. It grew over, and he could never find his way again. We can never forget what has happened, but we cannot go back, nor can we just sit beside the trail. That is true of Saskatchewan and much of Western Canada today. We cannot sit beside the trail.
The Acting Chairman: I understand that you must leave at 10:00 a.m.
Mr. Cotter: Shortly before, if I am able. However, I am in your hands. I know this is important for all of us.
Senator St. Germain: Slide 17, shows that unemployment among First Nations on-reserve rose between 1996 and 2001. What is the reason for that rise?
Mr. Cotter: This is one area where the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan agree; this matter is the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada. I am unofficially denying responsibility for that result. However, let me make somewhat more constructive observations.
In Saskatchewan, the First Nations are not located on-reserve in the most powerful economic development areas of the province. The on-reserve opportunities are limited.
The reserves are essentially postage stamps scattered across the province. Many Aboriginals would say that when the West was settled, they were pushed to the marginal land and that statement has some degree of accuracy. As a result, folks living on-reserve do not see many employment opportunities. Much of the eligible work force has moved into the towns and cities. The numbers are going down because the most capable people are looking for opportunities beyond the boundaries of the reserves. Beyond that, I do not have much of an understanding of that particular number.
Senator St. Germain: My next question is regarding treaty lands.
There have been many discussions concerning treaty lands and what was negotiated for the Aboriginal peoples.
In some cases, the treaty lands have been taken over. Where does the province stand on that subject?
Mr. Cotter: In Saskatchewan, there are two dimensions to the resolution of treaty land entitlement issues. We negotiated with the Government of Canada and about 33 First Nations treaty land entitlement agreements. The Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan transfer money in trust to First Nations to acquire quantities of land that would represent the amount they should have received when the treaties were signed but did not receive.
Treaty land entitlement framework agreement allows the bands, which receive that money, to make up what is called "the shortfall'' from about one century ago. The province is participating in the negotiation to the extent of 30 per cent of the funding. The total amount of money available, under the treaty land entitlement framework agreement and under individual band agreements, is in excess of $500 million.
There are also "special claims'' that occur directly between the Government of Canada and individual First Nations. The Government of Canada recognizes that. These are lands that were put into treaty status, for instance, reserve lands that were, for various reasons, taken away. I do not want to be uncharitable and describe all of the reasons but these are lands that, historically, bands received under treaty and then lost for various reasons. Most of that happened in the first 20 or 30 years of the last century. Canada has a separate process to address those specific claims. It is a slow process but it is intended to address, not so much the shortfall of land that they never received but rather land that they received and subsequently lost. The province has been supportive of the resolution of those claims and, in some cases, has included a conduit for some of the funding that Canada makes available to address those claims.
We support both processes to complete the resolution of treaty land issues that have been a kind of burr in everybody's side for nearly a century. A few more claims have yet to be resolved and there are one or two more being litigated.
Senator Sibbeston: What was the motivation for the government of Saskatchewan to undertake the strategy? Was it just common sense? Was it simply a political reality that the government had to do something innovative or unique and unusual for the Aboriginal people, or was it just a social-spirited effort to respond in that way?
Mr. Cotter: The government leadership in the mid-1990s had a series of philosophical commitments to the needs of Aboriginal people. Then Premier Romanow, around the time he was elected, made commitments to introduce a Metis Act, which we did last year. That would be part of the "political flavour'' to the commitments. During the negotiation of issues such as Aboriginal right to self-government, the government leadership of the 1990s, was supportive, in constitutional terms. Premier Romanow and Mr. Bob Mitchell, Minister of Justice and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, committed Saskatchewan to that view in the Charlottetown accord regime. That was an element in our work.
We were interested in, and we hoped to be supportive of, much of what the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People recommended. We heard many positive recommendations, particularly in respect to provinces and the so-called "practical agenda.'' The data was beginning to overwhelm us with respect to projections for the future. We, the Government of Saskatchewan, saw the trend lines. Aboriginal leadership commissioned the work of the University of Saskatchewan; we did not. We decided that we needed to be in front of the wave because we were in danger of being overtaken by it in ways that would not be helpful for the whole society in general nor for the Aboriginal community in particular. It was recognition of a political commitment to the needs of Aboriginal people. Predominantly, Saskatchewan society needed to respond to this big challenge if it was to turn it into an opportunity.
Senator Sibbeston: As Aboriginal peoples become more involved in society they want the social institutions to reflect their needs. In the Northwest Territories native people have become more involved in all aspects of society: government, media, business and so forth. Have the Aboriginal people of Saskatchewan had a chance to influence or affect society in different institutions within Saskatchewan society?
Mr. Cotter: You are speaking about institutions that are not specifically Aboriginal.
Senator Sibbeston: That is correct.
Mr. Cotter: We have had a few challenges, but there is respect for Aboriginal leadership and the perspective that the leadership brings to these issues. We try to build on that by encouraging employers to look for opportunities to employ Aboriginal people in their companies. We decided that we needed to be more proactive and so, in 1992-1993, we introduced a strategy called the "Aboriginal Employment Development Program.'' Senators may find it referenced in the slides.
The program is not large and we do not invest much money in it. However, my department partners with an employer for one year to fund an employment coordinator. Our objective is to achieve an overall, representative workforce. When there is a vacancy, the Aboriginal coordinator will, with the community, try to identify qualified candidates who can compete for those jobs. The coordinator may also try to identify the kinds of jobs that will be coming up. We prepare an audit of the kinds of positions that will come up in the future. That information is passed on to the Aboriginal community so that they can prepare themselves to apply for the jobs that will be available two years from now.
The result of these efforts is that we now have 40 partnership agreements. Some of these partnerships are with universities; some are with health boards; and some are with private employers. A steel company outside of Regina, IPSCO, is one of the partners. Within two weeks of entering into the agreement, they had hired 20 people to work as welders and steelmakers. These employees are not vice-presidents yet but getting them into those jobs is the base on which to build.
At the higher levels of the hierarchy in these organizations, Aboriginal people are not yet well represented but it is a commitment of the government to get there. We have focussed on trying to build a base and have significant numbers of Aboriginal people represented in the work force. Then, we will move on to increased representation for all levels of the workforce. We are on the road but we are not there yet.
Senator St. Germain: My question relates to a long-term strategy. There are many young people going through the process and their expectations are being built up. They may get an education, but what will they actually do for a living? The worst thing to do is to ask someone to do achieve something and then not be able to use his achievement to support himself.
Some of us believe that the government does not have the answer to this problem. Has any thought been given to attracting private sector industries to Saskatchewan, which would allow these people to have the opportunities?
Mr. Cotter: I am meeting with people at Natural Resources Canada concerning a series of industry-attracting, industry-addressing issues that you have identified. That is a challenge in Northern Saskatchewan where there has been a lot of development, but there is a certain point where if it is status-quo development, construction jobs are not there. We are working hard to address that. The day before I went on vacation, we met with the presidents of the northern uranium companies to see what opportunities can be developed in the north.
The province has specific economic development agendas. I try to help in some areas where it is appropriate, but it is not my area of expertise or responsibility. Hopefully that will come to fruition.
If Aboriginal people get educated and want to participate in Saskatchewan society, and we can manage the kind of inter-societal race-based tensions in a healthy way, there will be many jobs for Aboriginal people from every walk of Saskatchewan life. We are going to face a labour shortage in eight or ten years, or sooner, as every other province will, and we do not get many immigrants. Saskatchewan is a wonderful place to live, but not many people in the Ukraine or the Philippines know that. So our need for Aboriginal people to be in the work force are as great from a societal point of view as it is for the Aboriginal people to have the opportunities. The jobs will be there if Aboriginal people get the training.
Senator Chaput: I am thinking of the well being of the youth at the present time, and I am trying to see what kind of activity will contribute the most to the well-being of the Aboriginal youth. They are in a society where they need to bridge distances, more so than any other youth. It seems to me that there is a bridging distance that they must do amongst themselves. Then there are the elders and there are the youth. The youth want to want to feel at peace with themselves. They want to be proud of what they are. On the other hand, they also want to go on with their lives. Maybe the way they see life is not the way that the elders see it. It seems that there is bridging that needs to be done. There is bridging that must be done between the Aboriginal youth and non-Aboriginal youth, and the Aboriginal youth and the new life that they are facing in cities.
I must say that this presentation you have given us today was great. According to your experience, what activity contributed the most to the well-being of the youth? What helped them to enter the real world, go on with their lives, and be at peace with themselves?
Mr. Cotter: I think, in some ways, senator, your question relates to Senator St. Germain's question about whether the opportunities will be there? In some cases, Aboriginal youth have some real doubt about whether the future will work for them. Will they have hope?
We had a rash of young people, mostly Aboriginals, stealing cars in Regina. These were kids who did not see any hope in their lives. When would they ever own a SUV? They would have to steal one if they ever wanted to drive one. There was nothing that you could do to hurt these kids because they had no hope. I believe that participation in recreation is important, and confidence that if they study and succeed in school, opportunities will be there for them.
Saskatchewan is not there yet. I used to coach little league baseball in Regina. Some of the best young kids who played baseball in Regina were First Nations kids. However, hardly any Aboriginal kids participated in little league baseball in Regina. The basic opportunity that I took for granted as a kid, and my son and daughter took for granted as kids is not always there for Aboriginal people. They do not feel that this is their society. If we can get to the point where it is seen as "our'' society, and that the wonders of being a member of Canadian society are there for them as well as they are for my family, almost everything else will fall into place.
The Acting Chairman: Time is getting short. Perhaps we can give you the rest of our questions and you can take them under advisement and send the replies to us. That will get you out of here at 10 o'clock.
Senator Sibbeston: I think this information that I am requesting would be very useful because our Senate committee is dealing with urban Aboriginal people, particularly the youth, and what can be done to improve their lives.
I am interested to know about programs that are aimed at getting Aboriginal people on their feet. I am referring to such things as the law school in Saskatoon that was aimed at native people. I am aware of some initiatives in the area of justice. Are there any Aboriginal people involved in your legislature or other levels of government?
In terms of media, and business, and training programs, it seems that Saskatchewan is a leader in doing some pretty positive things geared towards Aboriginal people. I think our committee would be interested to know how to go about this so that we can use this information wisely. It can encourage us in our recommendations because you will have given us examples of what has succeeded and what is working well.
The Acting Chairman: I have two questions, Mr. Cotter. In 1998, the federal government instituted an urban Aboriginal strategy to look at the socio-economic needs of urban Aboriginals. It was in partnership with the provinces and municipalities. Have you used it and if you have has it worked or not?
Second, we have heard from witnesses about the high rate of drug and alcohol addicts in the population. Does your province have a diagnostic program for persons with FAS or FAE?
Mr. Cotter: I should take these questions under advisement and provide the committee with a written response.
The Acting Chairman: It is now 10 o'clock, and I believe you do have another appointment. Thank you very much for being here today.
Mr. Cotter: In Saskatchewan slightly over nine per cent of the provincial employees are Aboriginal. Two or three members of the legislature are of Aboriginal descent, one is a cabinet minister.
I appreciate the opportunity to spend this time with you, and the next part of my day is less important.
The Acting Chairman: Tomorrow we have another meeting in another place. I am circulating some FAS information that is quite new that you might find interesting. So we stand adjourned.
The committee adjourned.