Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to take advantage of the Minister being responsible for both ECE and Justice and, as well, make him answer a few questions that his colleague, the Minister of Finance, may have input on. My first question is: what is the Minister doing to work with local organizations, such as BACupNorth, in addressing systemic racism, not only in the public service, but also in the criminal justice system across our territory? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a meeting scheduled with BACupNorth. It has been on the books for some time. There were some issues, I think, finding a time that worked for everyone. That is happening on March 15th. We have our community justice committees, which support communities to develop alternatives to the criminal justice system, such as diversion programs. We also have, what I set as the Minister, annual policing priorities. I just recently sent out letters to the Indigenous governments to find out what their priorities are so that we can incorporate those. Those are some of the things that we do to work with communities and organizations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Growing up in western Canada, I never knew anything about Black history or the history of African-Canadians in our country until, as an adult, I went to Halifax and first heard of Africville. It has come to my attention that literature around Black history is all but absent in our school curriculums and systems. What is the Minister doing to change this in our educational institutions in the North?
I had a similar experience as the Member. We didn't really learn Black history in school here in the territory. Right now, the NWT grade 5 social studies curriculum introduces students to the experiences of the Black population in Nova Scotia, both historically and today. Students are given opportunities to examine and question social reality through critiques of media, public policy decisions, foreign policy choices, newspapers, historical accounts, and school life itself.
ECE agrees that more representation and acknowledgement of Black history and present day are needed through NWT schools and is currently working with partners to ensure that appropriate resources are identified and made accessible to NWT schools. This need was highlighted and arguably heightened with the recent Black Lives Matter international protests, which compelled ECE to reach out to local NWT advocacy groups.
ECE met with representatives from BACupNorth in December to discuss their thoughts and recommendations on the inclusion of resources in NWT schools. Discussions identified the importance of students understanding and learning about the history of Black Canadians but also the positive history. We do have a negative history in Canada, but there are also numerous positive contributions, as well. We want to make sure that we are giving a full picture.
There is a follow-up meeting with BACupNorth in early March, and ECE is currently reviewing a list of recommended reading materials that have been identified for NWT schools to help ensure that students of colour see themselves in the books that they read. ECE will ensure that copies of these recommended books are distributed to all NWT schools by the beginning of the upcoming school year.
I am really glad to hear that, particularly the idea of critiquing things that have happened in the past and looking at things through a new lens. My next question is a little bit redundant like the first, but I would like to know what the GNWT is doing. We have seen a lot of evidence of police brutality, derogatory treatment, and incarceration of Black and Indigenous people across the country and here in the North. What is the GNWT doing itself, or internally, to address anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism in law enforcement and in the criminal justice system?
I recently met with the commanding officer of the RCMP, and he had also met with BACupNorth. He was very open to working with them, continuing to work with them, and providing them support in any way that he could. I know that the RCMP also, here in the territory, undertakes cultural training and community integration, but I don't think they do elsewhere in Canada. In that sense, they are ahead of other jurisdictions.
In terms of what we do to address some of the issues surrounding Indigenous people in the justice system, there is the integration of Indigenous culture with input from elders. We have traditional liaison officers. I know, in the South Slave, in SMCC, there are some amazing programs. Those are going to be rolling out to other correctional facilities in the future. As we transition to the new Corrections Act, I think that we are going to see a lot more of that acknowledgement that we need to really work with the people in the system.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question just has to do with the upcoming cultural sensitivity and training that we will be doing. Does the GNWT make available to all GNWT employees cultural sensitivity training that has the purpose of raising awareness on how to interact with Black or people of colour in the workplace and other departments? I do recognize that I am kind of asking a lot of the same questions. Thank you.
We're breaking down silos here, and my colleague from the Department of Finance helped put this answer together. I'm just going to read it verbatim so that I don't mess it up. No shooting from the hip this time.
The Department of Finance is launching an anti-racism campaign through the months of March and April. The campaign will include printed and video resources that encourage public servants to explore anti-racism and to take action against all forms of racism, along with virtual training and workshops.
This month, the department is also rolling out training for all employees on Indigenous cultural awareness and sensitivity. This training will be launched this month and includes content on anti-racism, unconscious bias, white privilege, and how those topics impact all members of our communities. This training will be available to all members of the public.
Additionally, the GNWT has an advisory committee on diversity and inclusion. This committee provides assistance on improving access for designated employment equity groups in the public service by promoting awareness, working with departments to find ways to remove and prevent barriers faced by these groups, and promote support and increase diversity within the GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
