Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I spoke about the importance of the government's response to the calls to action relating to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report. My questions today are for the Premier. The Executive and Indigenous Affairs, about a year ago, did provide this House an update on the status of the calls to action as it relates to our government. Some of the questions I have might be a little bit cross-departmental. I will try to keep them as general as possible and see what kind of replies I can get from the Premier.
Last year, when the department reported on its responses to the TRC's calls to action, one of the major goals was to close the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, Mr. Speaker. Can the Premier advise the Assembly how graduation rates are unfolding, and does he feel that the government is, in fact, closing this education gap? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Education is one of the most important priorities of this government, and I think that the Truth and Reconciliation report certainly confirmed that and made some concrete recommendations, which we have embraced. In 2015, the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students was reflected in the fact that 67 per cent of non-Aboriginal students graduated compared to 56 per cent of Aboriginal students. Obviously, we have a ways to go to improve on that. The major initiative that the Government of the Northwest Territories is using to narrow the gap is the NWT Education Renewal initiative, which is a four-year program running and focusing or looking at areas for action in the areas of language and cultural identity, student and education well-being, teaching and learning, and system accountability. I think one of the ways that I look at as to whether the gap is narrowing is I know that we have more and more post-secondary Aboriginal students. I think the fact that that number is in the hundreds is certainly a reflection on the improvement in the education services and the narrowing of the gap.
Thank you to the Premier for the fulsome answer. I do appreciate that. A lot of the aspects around that question were relevant to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I am grateful for that fulsome and detailed answer.
On health, the government is building a team of community wellness planners and a series of community healthy living fairs. Of course, it is to promote healthy living and nutrition and fitness at the community level. Can the Premier advise if these wellness fairs have all taken place, and, if so, how are we measuring the success of these fairs? Are they having a positive impact?
I am pleased to report that the community wellness fairs are proceeding. They are going very well. The most recent ones were in K'atlodeeche. At the NWT Associate and Communities AGM, they brought in some of their props. You could walk through a colon, so you could get people to go and get checked out for colon cancer. I think the most important message to people is prevention and that people are the ones that, if they practise prevention, they will be healthier. I think a large part of the measurement will be how healthy people are going forward.
Thank you again to the Premier for his reply. I would like to maybe now direct the attention a little bit to our own GNWT employees. I recognize that all GNWT employees are required to undergo Aboriginal cultural awareness training. Can the Premier advise if all GNWT employees have now taken this training, and, if so, is the training provided continually to reflect turnover and maybe movement within the public service?
I am pleased to say that the Truth and Reconciliation Committee recognized the Government of the Northwest Territories for its leadership not only in cultural awareness but also the fact that the history of residential schools and also our land-claim negotiations are in our curriculum. We focused on mandatory training for students and educators. That has been our main priority.
Our expectation is that we will eventually have all of our employees undertaking cultural awareness training, and we will continue. Right now, we will focus on new employees as they come on board. We are hiring a consultant to review and update our Indigenous cultural awareness training program. I think that it is certainly very important for our public services to understand when they are delivering programs and services to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
Masi. Oral Questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, thank you to the Premier for his detailed reply. It is much appreciated. I mentioned public outreach events such as those sponsored by the City of Edmonton. That was an example that I used. They were designed to engage the public on culture and history and to educate them about treaties and how to celebrate the historic contributions of First Nations. Has our government considered creating similar events in the North, particularly in the larger centres where maybe more non-Indigenous Northerners could participate? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Our government has even gone above and beyond that. Instead of a special event day we have a statutory holiday called Aboriginal Day where everybody gets one day off a year. If you are working for the Government of the Northwest Territories, you can learn about Aboriginal history and culture. Also, you can go out and participate. Aboriginal people can celebrate the fact that they are Aboriginal. Also, we provide funding to those Aboriginal groups who want to participate on Aboriginal Day. We are always looking for ways to promote that. I think that the fact that over 50 per cent of our population is Aboriginal, you can just drive down the road and participate in Aboriginal events that are put on by Aboriginal governments on a regular basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral Questions. Member for Nahendeh.
