Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I listened with interest to the Minister of Human Resources, Glen Abernethy, when he talked about the soon-to-be launched Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training Program aimed at enhancing and promoting the Aboriginal culture of understanding. I want to ask the Minister, in light of what I said in my Member’s statement about Deline hosting a huge hand games tournament, with something like that, is the Minister looking at some type of cultural training program where we can fully immerse in the training and culture and understanding of Aboriginal people at their best. Is the Minister looking at something like that in terms of a training program for our employees?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Glen Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The program that we’re designing is actually designed with the intent of helping new employees, as well as some existing employees, understand the cultures and reality of working in the Northwest Territories. It was designed in participation with a number of different Aboriginal groups in the Northwest Territories. As far as having it presented at something like the hand games, it’s not really designed for that. It’s designed for employees to help them understand the different cultures and the realities in the Northwest Territories.
I wanted to ask the Minister to be open and flexible, because what better way to learn about the Aboriginal people than to get into them, play the hand games with them, understand the culture. Even learn a few hand signals, which I really can’t say in the House here. I think that’s the most opportune time to have employees come and sit and eat, and dance and learn the hand games of the Aboriginal people. Would the Minister look at something like that to fully understand the Aboriginal people at their best?
I’ve had an opportunity to travel to a lot of the communities in the Northwest Territories with the Member, as well, and had an opportunity to participate in the hand games, which I thoroughly lost. I do understand the value of these types of activities and initiatives but, once again, this program is really designed to help the individual employees who happen to be in Yellowknife or other communities where maybe the hand games aren’t taking place.
As a government, we do encourage our employees who live in smaller communities to engage and become part of the communities and I would hope to see members of the GNWT public service participating in the activities in Deline. The program is more designed for all communities, not one particular location.
If young kids in Sachs Harbour can learn the Dene hand games, certainly we can look at some of our regions and the departments that we’re responsible for in the Tlicho, the Deh Cho, the Sahtu, even the Gwich’in coming to Tulita and taking that prize. I want to ask again the Minister, it would be good if we had a GNWT representative look at and understand the Dene culture, and one aspect is to see these magnificent hand games and really understand, okay, this is how the people celebrate life. I know it’s designed for some things, but I’m asking to leave some room for flexibility in the training program.
I’d say that we’re absolutely going to be flexible and open. We have some of the most generous leave policies here in the Government of the Northwest Territories and we encourage our employees to maybe take some time to go participate in these types of events.
As Cabinet members, I know we’ve all had an opportunity to travel to the Sahtu and many of us did participate in the hand games when we were there previously. We do see the value of these types of activities and we encourage involvement. We will continue to encourage our employees to take advantage of these opportunities as they present themselves.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On page 3 of 3 of the Minister’s statement he said, “so far have been in the right direction and that we are a national leader and role model in advancing diversity in our workplace.” I’m with the Minister on that. I want to ask the Minister how I can support him. Can he write some kind of directive or initiative that would support cultural awareness, such as participating in regional hand games, when the opportunity is available to our workers.
We, obviously, want a public service that represents the population that we serve, and as such, we have put in a number of these programs to help us attain that. I’m interested in what the Member has to say and I’d be happy to sit down and have a conversation with the Member to see what we can do, and discuss it further with committee as well.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
