Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its report on the 20212022 Review of the Official Languages Act and commends it to the House.
Over the last two years, the Standing Committee on Government Operations reviewed the Official Languages Act. This law protects speakers of the NWT's eleven official languages and outlines language rights, rules, and responsibilities in different parts of government. This law requires a review about every five years. Previous committee reviews were released in 2003, 2009, and 2015.
For our 20212022 review, committee aimed to collect input from Northerners on the effectiveness of the Official Languages Act, recommend changes to better protect and revitalize official languages, and ensure changes are implemented. The COVID19 pandemic delayed our review, but committee pushed for changes before the end of the 19th Assembly.
This report describes how the public participated in the review and summarizes what committee heard. Participants shared many examples of how the languages approach of the Government of the Northwest Territories falls short of Northerners' needs and rights, and many suggestions for improvements. Statistics back up what residents are saying: Indigenous language communities continue to lose speakers, but many more people want to learn the language.
The report also outlines committee's call to overhaul the government's approach to official languages, starting with four transformative changes:
Implementing the right to receive services in your official language of choice;
Implementing the right to K to 12 immersion education in your local language;
Doubling resources to support and revitalize Indigenous languages; and
Support of official language speakers in the public service.
Committee urges the government to begin making these changes now and complete them in the 20th Assembly.
In early 2021, committee set out to travel across the NWT. Unfortunately, our plans were repeatedly postponed due to the COVID19 pandemic.
In December 2021, committee realized that we could not finish our review of the Official Languages Act in time to make changes to the law before the end of the 19th Assembly. However, almost twenty years had passed since the law had last been updated, and in that time many important and straightforward amendments had been suggested. Therefore, committee urged the Minister responsible for Official Languages to work with us to develop legislation before our review was complete. The Minister agreed and invited our input.
In response, committee reviewed all past suggestions for changes to the Official Languages Act since 2003, the last time the law was changed. Committee identified about 50 past suggestions and prioritized 12 of them for the new bill. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment accepted some of our priorities and put them into Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act. Bill 63 would:
Clarify and strengthen the role of the Languages Commissioner;
Merge the two languages boards; and
Update the law's preamble to recognize the impact of colonialism and the relevance of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
While committee was pleased with these changes, we were also disappointed that the bill was not more ambitious. We wrote a report about our review of the bill entitled Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act. In that report, committee recommended a second phase of legislative changes to improve the government's approach to official and Indigenous languages. Those changes should start in the life of the 19th Assembly and respond to the recommendations contained in this report. It is a known fact that the 20th Assembly is not obligated to follow up or consider any recommendations this Assembly makes. Furthermore, it may not be their priority.
I will now turn it over to the Member for Kam Lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In October 2020, committee held public briefings with the Languages Commissioner and the Minister responsible for Official Languages and his staff. Between June 2021 and October 2022, committee engaged the public. 74 people from across the NWT participated in public meetings, including 33 residents, organizations, and governments that provided formal oral comments.
During this time, committee was inspired by NWT residents doing amazing things to reclaim their languages, teach young people with limited resources, and advocate for changes to help their language communities survive and thrive.
We were especially moved by what elders had to say. They reminded committee of the horrific role of the Indian Residential Schools system in the loss of Indigenous languages but also Indigenous peoples' determination to keep their language. One survivor shared: "Even we whispered, and we get slapped. Sometimes we bleed from our mouths, we get hit. And you're so scared. You just wish you could go home, and you were a long way from home […] And today, when we're trying to teach our young people to speak, that thing is with us […] I don’t know why they didn't want us to speak our language. But we held on to it."
The harmful legacy of residential schools and colonization, and the need for reconciliation and recognition of Indigenous rights, were major themes that committee heard from residents. Other important themes were:
Committee provided more detail on these themes in an appendix to this report. We recommend the government review and consider residents' input on official languages.
Statistics confirm a trend committee heard on the road: Indigenous language communities in the NWT are not creating enough new speakers to sustain their languages. From 2014 to 2019, eight of the nine Indigenous official languages lost speakers, resulting in a total decline from 7,900 to 6,800 Indigenous language speakers. According to UNESCO, an agency of the United Nations, all nine Indigenous official languages are endangered, meaning they're at risk of disappearing. Inuvialuktun and Dinjii Zhu' Ginjik thank you very much, MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes Gwich'in, are the most severely endangered languages, with 560 and 290 speakers in the NWT, respectively.
The age profile of current speakers is also concerning. Half of the 6,800 Indigenous language speakers are over 50 years old and onefifth are over age 65. In almost every community, committee heard that young people are losing the Indigenous language, and elders find that they are unable to communicate with them in their Indigenous languages.
A 2019 survey by the NWT Bureau of Statistics gives reason for hope. This survey found that thousands of residents, Indigenous and nonIndigenous, want to improve their conversational skills in each of the nine Indigenous official languages. For instance, while less than 1,400 Northerners speak Dene Zhatie, nearly 5,000 Northerners want to improve their Dene Zhatie. This extends to all nine languages. The desire to learn each language is three and fourteen times higher than the number of actual speakers.
Despite attempts to eradicate Indigenous languages, many people remain passionate about reclaiming this right. Committee is convinced there is incredible potential to revitalize all language communities. Revitalizing languages is not just a hope – it's a right. Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples says that: "Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures […] States shall take effective measures to ensure that this right is protected."
Article 13 matters because it confirms the government's unique duty to protect Indigenous peoples' language rights and prevent the loss of valuable knowledge and traditions. While the GNWT has made improvements, anecdotal evidence and the statistics suggest that the government is not fulfilling its language responsibilities under the Declaration.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass the reading of this report to my colleague from Tu NedheWiilideh. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Since 1984, the Official Languages Act has set out the public's right to government services in an official language. That right exists where there is "significant demand" or where it is reasonable given "the nature of the office."
However, the concepts of "significant demand" and "nature of the office" have been criticized for years because they are unclear and do not work for the NWT. These concepts make it hard for residents to understand their right to demand services from the government in any official language.
Committee believes that each resident is a language rights holder, regardless of where they are and which office they interact with. These rights extend to the descendants of the language speakers, especially if they lost their language. Language rights should ensure "substantive equality" – this means using targeted measures to address underlying barriers and achieve true equality. Language rights should also be remedial in nature, meaning that they address inequalities and past injustices.
Practically speaking, the government has far to go to implement this expansive vision for language rights. But even the Minister has expressed hope that the NWT will "one day realize the vision of service delivery similar to what we see for French language services for all of our official languages." Committee therefore recommends:
That Government of the Northwest Territories recognize the right of each resident to receive services in the official language of their choice.
This right should go beyond the concepts of "significant demand" and "nature of the office," and follow the principles of substantive equality. As such, the GNWT should consider quantitative and qualitative characteristics when determining service levels to each official languages’ community. This right should also be remedial in nature, designed to counter the gradual decline of Indigenous official language speakers.
Residents expressed a desire to see more Indigenouslanguages signage on a daytoday basis. The government has a guidelines manual requiring new and replacement signs to display local Indigenous official language. The rules only apply to territorial institutions. The department is currently updating the guidelines. Committee welcomes that work but recommends that the government accelerates the transition towards more Indigenous language signage in the built environment. We therefore recommend:
That Government of the Northwest Territories set up a policy and a plan to display more Indigenous language signs before the 19th Assembly ends.
The policy should require all new signs at all territorial public bodies and community governments to prominently feature the local Indigenous official languages. The plan should set targets and offer funding for new Indigenous language signs.
In the NWT, the Metis are the only Indigenous group whose traditional language is not recognized as an official language. Committee heard interest in adding Michif as an official language in Hay River.
This idea is not new. In 2002, a special committee developed a discussion paper about Michif in the NWT and recommends further research to figure out how the language should be recognized. The Languages Commissioner also recommended reconsidering whether Michif should be an official language in 2016. As there is no recent publicly available research on Michif in the NWT, committee believes more study is necessary and recommends:
That the Department of Education, Culture and Employment commission a study on the state of Michif in the NWT and options to recognize Michif in the Official Languages Act. The study should be tabled in the House within the first 18 months of the 20th Assembly.
Committee heard a strong and clear desire for more Indigenous languages in education, including more intergenerational learning opportunities, more instruction time, and K to 12 immersion options in each community. However, there are more formidable barriers such as lack of fluent young people to replace retiring teachers and too few language instructor training opportunities at Aurora College.
Committee believes that the longterm goal needs to be a right for full K to 12 immersion in your local official language. Anything less would fall short of UNDRIP Article 14 which says: "States shall, in conjunction with Indigenous peoples, take effective measures, in order for Indigenous individuals, particularly children, including those living outside their communities, to have access, when possible, to an education in their own culture and provided in their own language."
Committee believes upcoming work to renew the Education Act must prioritize languages revitalization and aim to make a plan to achieve full immersion in the future. We note that Nunavut's Education Act sets out a longterm schedule to phase in bilingual Inuktut education for all grades by 2039. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends:
That the Department of Education, Culture and Employment implement an exercisable right for Northerners to full K to 12 immersion in each local Indigenous official language. To achieve this vision, ECE should prioritize Indigenous language revitalization in the ongoing Education Act modernization.
That the Department of Education, Culture and Employment help ensure Indigenous languages early childhood education is available in each community. To achieve this vision, ECE should provide additional and sufficient funding to program operators that use Indigenous languages.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to turn this over to my colleague, the Member from Thebacha. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Member for Thebacha.
Committee heard clearly that funding for Indigenouslanguage education and revitalization is not enough to ensure language communities survive. This unanimous sense of underfunding exists despite recent increases in language funding. The Government of the Northwest Territories now spends around $21 million each year on Indigenous language programming, up from $14 million ten years ago.
To gauge the potential funding gap, committee compared the Government of the Northwest Territories' Indigenous language funding with its Frenchlanguage funding. Committee acknowledges this comparison is far from perfect: these language communities have different histories, circumstances, and needs; and, the government's responsibilities to these communities are different based on constitutional and international law.
Committee compared Frenchlanguage funding per Frenchspeaker with Indigenous language funding per Indigenous residents. Looking at Indigenous residents, rather than current Indigenouslanguage speakers, is appropriate because Indigenous language rights extend to all Indigenous people, including those who have lost the language.
Committee found that the Government of the Northwest Territories' Frenchlanguage funding is around $2,200 per French speaker compared to Indigenouslanguage funding of around $1,100 per Indigenous person. This puts the funding gap at $1,100 per Indigenous person. To close this gap, the Government of the Northwest Territories would have to double perperson Indigenouslanguage funding. The total cost would add up to an additional $22 million per year. More details on this calculation are included in Appendix C of this report.
Committee believes that increasing funding by at least this amount is necessary to reverse the decline in Indigenouslanguage speakers and revitalize language communities. Committee therefore recommends:
That the Government of the Northwest Territories double funding for Indigenouslanguage education, services, and revitalization.
That the Government of the Northwest Territories reimburse use of an Indigenous official language as an eligible expense for all programs, grants, and contributions. These funding agreements should be multiyear to reduce administrative burden and improve sustainability.
Educators and language experts brought up the problem of fragmentation among language communities in developing resource materials. Committee heard one example of a southern publisher charging $20,000 to allow an education resource in one Indigenous language to be translated into another.
Participants thought the department could do more to "minimize the reinvention of the wheel" so that educational resources can be translated easily and affordably. One promising suggestion was for a "creative commons" – a digital space for people to share and collaborate on educational resources. Existing resource hubs, like the Our Languages NWT platform, do not particularly promote decentralized content creation and digital collaboration. Committee therefore recommends:
That the Department of Education, Culture and Employment set up a creative commons for Indigenouslanguage resource materials.
The creative commons should build on the Our Languages NWT platform and offer an accessible digital space. It should allow creators and users to share and collaborate on educational materials, languagelearning apps, curricula, grant applications, and other resources.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to now turn this over to the Inuvik Twin Lakes Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Government of Canada has committed to preserving, promoting and revitalizing Indigenous languages in Canada (Indigenous Languages Act, 2019). Supporting the efforts of Indigenous peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages also responds to Calls to Action 13, 14 and 15 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Keeping Indigenous languages alive contributes to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Specifically, Article 13 recognizes the right of Indigenous peoples to revitalize, use, develop and transmit their languages and traditions to future generations and indicates that states should take adequate measures to ensure these rights are protected.
The government's duty to protect language rights extends to its role as an employer of over 6,300 public servants. However, current efforts appear modest. In 20212022, only 340 employees, or 5 percent of the workforce, received a bilingual bonus. The bonuses were worth only $560,000, or 0.1 percent of total human resource costs. The government also gives an allowance to teachers using an Indigenous official language, but it has decreased from 105 teachers getting the allowance in 2010 to fewer than 40 teachers receiving it now.
In the spirit of reconciliation, it is imperative that the Government of the Northwest Territories steps up and does much more as an employer. After all, the loss of Indigenous languages in this country directly relates to residential schools.
The public service must support Indigenous language speakers proactively. The employer should be responsible for identifying and supporting employees who want to learn the language of their heritage and culture rather than demanding Indigenous persons achieve and prove bilingual proficiency in an independent path. Departments and agencies should prepare an annual action plan to support and grow the official Indigenous languages. The plans should include funding, targets, and regular reporting. Committee recommends:
That each department and agency be required to have an annual official languages action plan to improve and revitalize the language skills of its Indigenous employees.
The plans should identify objectives, actions, performance measures, and multiyear targets. The plans should be supported by an updated bilingual designation policy creating a new category of bonuses for Indigenous employees learning to speak an official Indigenous language. Each department and agency should be responsible for identifying Indigenous employees wanting to learn the Indigenous language of their heritage and culture, helping identify access to learning opportunities, providing financial support, and assisting access to language proficiency assessments where available.
That each department and agency be required to create an individual language training account for each person. The account should guarantee each Indigenous employee a minimum number of hours of language training, in any Indigenous official language, as a first or second language.
That the Department of Finance set up an Indigenous languages revitalization fund to support Indigenous employees in the effort to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen their languages.
I'd like to now turn it over to the Member for Yellowknife North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Committee was disappointed that Bill 63 did not update colonial terms used in the law like "North Slavey" and "South Slavey." The Minister said that language communities did not agree on new terms, so the terms stayed the same. Committee shares the Minister's hope that the terms can be changed during the next review. Committee therefore recommends:
That the Government of the Northwest Territories restore Indigenous language terms and spellings to refer to languages and communities. The GNWT should update all legislation, regulations, policies, guidelines, standards, and communications within the life of the 20th Assembly. The GNWT should also consult Indigenous communities on the changes.
This concludes the Standing Committee on Government Operations' Report on the 20212022 Review of the Official Languages Act. Committee looks forward to the government's response to these recommendations.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories respond to this report within 120 days.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Yellowknife North.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Thebacha, that Committee Report 4919(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations' Report on the 20212022 Review of the Official Languages Act, be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried. The committee report has been received and will be moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration.
Carried
Colleagues, we will take a short recess.
---SHORT RECESS
Reports of standing and special committees. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its report Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention, and commends it to the House.
Thank you to the youth who shared courageously on suicide prevention with the Standing Committee on Social Development. We heard you. We respect you. We believe in you. From you, we learn and take your lead. We hope you see your thoughts, ideas, and perspectives, and the resources and supports you asked for, reflected in the following report and its recommendations.
YOUTH KNOW WHAT THEY WANT
All youth are sacred. Northwest Territories youth are talented, brilliant and powerful. Youth have so much to contribute to the North and to the world. Yet, many youth in the NWT are facing a mental health crises due to complex challenges that diminish the overall quality of their lives. Far too many youth do not have access to sports and recreation, Indigenous languages, Indigenous culture, on the land programming, mentors, addictions supports, places of healing, safe schools and other safe spaces. Some youth struggle with having basic human necessities like stable and safe housing. Indigenous youth face additional challenges due to the Indian Residential Schools legacy, the child welfare system, and loss of culture and land as a result of colonization. Youth touched by the loss of life to suicide face added layers of loss and grief. These risk factors increase the likelihood of suicidal ideation and loss of life to suicide.
Youth need leaders and champions throughout the NWT who believe in them and will advocate for the resources and supports they need to live quality lives. Youth need action taken now. The committee invited youthled and youthserving organizations to share their thoughts, ideas, and perspectives on suicide prevention and the kinds of strategies needed to empower youth and prevent loss of life to suicide. Five youthled organizations, one youthserving organization, and one Dene counsellor who facilitates on the land healing with youth and communities, stepped forward and provided responses to the Committee’s three questions:
If it were up to you, what supports would you give to youth in your community to prevent loss of life to suicide?
What do youth need in your community to build resilience and inspire hope? And,
How can the government empower youth to lead mental health and wellbeing solutions?
Youth were clear in their responses. Youth know what they want:
Youth want a territorial youthled conference that focuses on mental health and wellness;
Youth want consistent aftercare supports from health professionals and community members following and suicidal ideation or attempts;
Youth want access to individual and familyoriented addictions and healing supports;
Youth want an increase to accessible programs including programming sports, recreation, culture, language, and on the land programming;
Youth want to be cared about;
Youth want safe schools and safe spaces that are free of alcohol, drugs and violence; and,
Youth want safe and stable housing.
Youth said these were suicide prevention strategies. A territorywide response focused on building resilience and strengthening community supports is key to protecting lives and reducing loss of life due to suicide.
In October 2022, the Office of the Chief Coroner released the 20212022 Early Release of Suicide Data to raise the alarm on the upsurge of deaths to suicide. At that time, 18 deaths to suicide were reported, more than any one year in the two decades prior. According to the Office of the Chief Coroner, the majority of those impacted were male between the age of 20 and 29 in the Beaufort Delta and North Slave regions of the Northwest Territories. Community leaders have shared that most were Indigenous. Loss of life to suicide occurred in all five regions.
See Appendix A for more information.
In response to the loss of life among youth to suicide, committee prioritized speaking to youth on the topic of suicide prevention efforts and advocating for accessible resources and supports. Youth are defined as an individual under 30.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass the reading of this report to my colleague for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
COMMITTEE APPROACH
Committee took two approaches to this report. First, a suicide prevention approach that is focused on strategies that reduce the likelihood of someone losing their life to suicide, participating in suicidal behaviours, or suicidal thoughts (suicidal ideation). Second, a traumainformed approach that recognizes a person holistically and acknowledges that a person may have or is currently experiencing trauma. Committee incorporated this approach several ways, including centering the voices of individuals with lived experience, providing private and confidential listening sessions, and only asking questions with consent.
"Throughout the process, avoid tokenization. Have lots of youth. Value their lived experience. The youth of today have the insights and experience needed to represent what NWT youth are experiencing." This was from Community Building Youth Futures.
Youth want a youthled territorywide conference in a regional centre or small community outside of Yellowknife that focuses on fostering mental health and wellness with workshops and activities. Potential topics for workshops and activities mentioned were positive relationship development, emotional intelligence, healthy ways to manage grief, antibullying, practicing advocacy and grassroots movements, sobriety, selfcare, Indigenous languages, Indigenous culture, trauma and intergenerational trauma, mental health first aid, grant proposal writing, sports, and art. Youth require support from the Government of the Northwest Territories to advance this undertaking. Youthled organizations want to lead and develop a conference but need the GNWT's financial and human resource support.
Committee believes a youthled conference can be organized within six months. Committee therefore recommends:
The Department of Health and Social Services provide financial and human resource support to youthled nongovernmental organizations to host a territorial youth conference on mental health and wellness before the end of the 19th Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to pass it on to the Member for Deh Cho.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Member for Deh Cho.
Aftercare
"When we reach out for help, we need something to happen." That's Home Base Yellowknife.
What happens when a youth ends up at a hospital or a health care centre in the NWT following suicidal ideation or attempt of suicide? According to many youth, nothing. Nothing happens. Committee heard story after story of youth who attempted suicide or had suicidal ideation who were not triaged, provided only physical health support if needed and no mental health support, and did not receive an aftercare plan or any kind of meaningful aftercare. Youth shared that in addition to their parent or guardian, they would like to be accompanied by a counsellor or health advocate while they are in the hospital or health care centre. Additional support persons provide comfort and knowledge in challenging situations. After discharge, youth and the persons who care for them want consistent aftercare support from health professionals and community members.
Committee believes that aftercare plans support a youth's journey out of crises and towards recovery and mental health and wellness. Committee therefore recommends:
The Department of Health and Social Services develop aftercare processes for persons discharged from hospitals and health care centres following suicidal ideation and attempts to reduce suicide reattempts and loss of life.
"Piecemeal stuff doesn’t work with addictions or suicide prevention." Donald Prince.
Addictions are a major contributor to poor mental health and wellness. While many youth in the NWT do not identify with having a drug or an alcohol addiction, youth in the NWT have the highest rates of hospitalization caused by substance abuse in the country. Leaders and community members are concerned about the impact of drug and alcohol addiction among youth, and the increased availability and new types of drugs entering the communities. Current approaches to preventing alcohol and drug abuse do not work. For many people in the NWT, alcohol and drug abuse is seen as a response to trauma, with holistic healing needed for the individual and family. Youth described the land as a place of healing. Youth want an addictions and healing centre here in the NWT where they can deepen their support circles with family and loved ones. Committee therefore recommends:
The Department of Health and Social Services establish a youth and family addictions support and healing centre in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to pass to the Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In October 2022, following the upsurge of deaths to suicide, the Minister of Health and Social Services acknowledged the NWT was in a mental health crisis and "expedited" the Community Suicide Prevention Fund. The Community Suicide Prevention Fund provides financial support for communitybased prevention activities. At the direction of the Minister, the Department of Health and Social Services provided funds directly without application. Committee believes this was an appropriate response. Many communities do not have the human resources capacity to write an application, budget, or provide reporting required. As a result, many communities do not apply to the Community Suicide Prevention Fund or other mental wellness and addictions recovery funds, leaving these funds underutilized. Eliminating administrative burdens allows communities to focus on selfdetermining their own suicide prevention strategies and will increase the likelihood these funds will be utilized. Committee therefore recommends:
The Department of Health and Social Services expedite and streamline the application, approval, and reporting requirements for the Community Suicide Prevention Fund.
"We are talking about more cultural programming and events in community. What if we had small activities happening every week, every month that makes us feel supported. Various things like going on walks, drum dances, anything that helps youth connect with others. Connecting with identity and culture is suicide prevention." Supporting Wellbeing.
Youth want opportunities to be involved in sports, recreational activities, and do arts to develop friendships and gain confidence and be part of the community. Youth want to know their identities and have opportunities to practice their culture, language, and on the land skills with elders and knowledgekeepers. Doing so, instills pride and empowers Indigenous youth. Youth want access to consistent programming and activities daily, weekly, and monthly. Youth who are in a crisis or experiencing challenges may need access to a lot of different programming, with the understanding that their participation may take time to develop interest or trust. Youth want mentorship with elders and respected members of the community. Youth are seeking simple experiences with their mentors like going on walks, getting coffee, or just having conversation. They want to be sincerely cared about. Home Base YK staff said, "One act of kindness will make a huge difference in someone’s life." Youth want youthled programming that builds resilience and strengthens their community supports. This is what youth said is suicide prevention.
Committee believes that the eligible projects under the Community Suicide Prevention Fund should be expanded to include strategies youth have identified as suicide prevention. Committee therefore recommends:
The Department of Health and Social Services expand the eligibility for projects under the Community Suicide Prevention Fund to include sports, arts, and recreational programming, culture, language, and on the land programming, and informal elder/respected community memberyouth mentorship.
Currently, the maximum funding available for the Community Suicide Prevention Fund is $225,000 per year. Committee believes that that $225,000 annually does not adequately respond to the mental health crisis and upsurge in deaths to suicide. Additional funding is required to strengthen the community supports. Committee therefore recommends:
The Department of Health and Social Services increase the Community Suicide Prevention Fund to $1 million annually.
So, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to pass on to my colleague Monfwi, Ms. Armstrong.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Youth need housing for shelter and their basic human needs. Housing is a first step for stabilizing youth and reducing loss of life. The probability of experiencing homelessness increases for youth who do not have access to housing. Youth in care are especially vulnerable if they do not have family or close relationships to support them as they transition out of care and secure housing. Youth need access to different housing options that are safe, affordable, and supportive. For example, Home Base YK Youth Dorms in Yellowknife offers programming every day and have staff on site 24 hours a day. Currently, there are no Housing NWT units targeted toward youth. Few to no studio or onebedroom units are available in NWT communities. Youth need housing options. Safe and stable housing is directly related to quality of life. Quality of life is linked to the likelihood a youth will lose their life to suicide. Committee therefore recommends:
Housing NWT develop a supportive community housing strategy focused on youth and youth aging out of care.
Mr. Speaker, I this is a quote from the Dene Nation Youth Council: "For years I have been hearing parents and students need an Indigenous guidance person, and a space open to them for support in the schools. The better life we can give them, the better quality of life they have." From the Dene Nation Youth Council.
Indigenous students and their families want additional supports in schools that will:
Improve academic success and university readiness including tutoring, course planning, and completing postsecondary applications.
Increase the presence of Indigenous language, culture, and community.
Provide emotional support and advocacy when needed.
This aligns with the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Articles 14, 15, and 21, relating to rights including the right to selfdetermine education systems and accessing education without discrimination; the right to cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations reflected in education; and, the right to improve Indigenous people’s economic and social conditions in the areas of education. Indigenous students and their families want schools that support their academic journeys and set them up for success. Committee therefore recommends:
Education, Culture and Employment review and amend the career and education advisor job description to recruit Indigenous persons in these positions.
Mr. Speaker, I pass this on to Member for Great Slave. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. "Educators need to be committed to maintaining safe spaces. If not, kids then don’t trust their schools to keep them safe." Northern Mosaic Network.
Youth who identify as 2SLGBTQIPA+ may experience discrimination, harassment, and violence from other students, educators, community members, and leaders. Many youth do not feel safe expressing their sexual orientation and gender identity in the NWT. Indigenous youth who identify as 2SLGBTQIPA+ may face additional layers of harm due to the intersection of racism and homophobia. One youth said that many Indigenous 2SLGBTQIPA+ youth are on the "fringes" of their communities. Research has shown that 2SLGBTQIPA+ students suffer from greater rates of mental health issues and suicide. Their sexual orientation and gender identity does not inherently put 2SLGBTQIPA+ youth at a higher risk for suicide, but, rather, the lack of acceptance, mistreatment, and hatred for the 2SLGBTQIPA+ community increases the likelihood of suicidal ideation and loss of life to suicide. It is not enough to "tolerate" 2SLGBTQIPA+. Adults including educators, leaders and community members need to actively educate themselves and work to be accepting and inclusive of 2SLGBTQIPA+ youth in schools and the broader community. Committee therefore recommends:
