Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
I talked many times during the 16th Assembly about the important issue of employment in the small communities in the NWT, specifically the low employment rates in the small communities. Although the GNWT has established the Small Community Employment Support Program Guidelines which came into effect April 1, 2011, to date I have not seen any marked improvement to the employment rates in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution.
In my last Member’s statement on this issue, on May 13, 2011, I said that the three employment programs should be delivered at the community level as much as possible and some changes must be made to the program. I made reference to how the communities in my riding have half-time client service officer positions. They are GNWT positions. However, the career development officers is a plan in which this government has in delivering the Employment Support Program.
The communities in Tu Nedhe do not have a community development officer position. I believe that the client service officer positions can effectively fill the role of a career development officer position and create one job with both titles where that job would be able to deliver the program. This would be a new position in the GNWT, a combined position that would be located in the small communities. It would also give the small communities an opportunity to look at other positions that should be created in improving the employment rates in the small communities; positions such as preschool teachers, daycare workers, youth workers, and employment workers, just to mention a few, will definitely go a long way to solving the employment problems in the small communities.
I realize the Small Community Employment Support Guidelines have only been introduced since April 1, 2011, and will take time to sort itself out; however, I believe feedback such as this will enhance the program and make it more effective for small communities to hire people and keep people employed by the GNWT in small communities.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
