Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is true that the theme song for devolution should be “you can’t always get what you want,” except in this case we can’t get what we want or what we need. What we need is more jobs in the smaller communities and the capacity to fill those jobs with local residents. Where there is hope, there is despair. Once people have jobs, they have hope. When people are working they can support their families. They contribute to their communities and look forward to a better future.
I say this to remind the government the devolution promise of more jobs in the communities is critical and the stakes are very high. In this House last week, Premier McLeod indicated that as part of the phase to devolution, something in the neighbourhood of about 90-some positions have been decentralized to the regions and that more decentralization will come with phase three. I’m concerned that most of these jobs are going to the regional centres, or that they will wind up being pulled back to Yellowknife if they can’t be filled.
Speaking of regional centres, the work of decentralization will require innovative thinking. I would like to see the government consider establishing Fort Providence as a regional centre. Given its strategic location on the water between Fort Simpson and Yellowknife, it is perfectly situated as a marine hub. In spring the ice does not melt and move out of Great Slave Lake until early June. At Fort Providence the river is free of ice in mid-May, making it ideal for early river transportation activities. If done properly, decentralization can give us opportunities like this to organize government services more effectively.
With respect to decentralization, I’m also concerned that the majority of these jobs require a high level of education with specialized skills that will discourage people in the communities from applying. Getting positions into communities is only part of the equation. Filling those positions with qualified local people is the bigger challenge. Some people seem to equate 10-year positions in the community, for example, with the need for a 10-year process for 10-year families. But for the communities lucky enough to get 10 new positions, it is my hope those positions will be filled by 10 local residents already living in the community. People who want to work but maybe lack the skills or knowledge to take on new jobs.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
To me the biggest challenge will be to assist people living in the communities to qualify and train for those jobs that devolution promises.
I look forward to hearing more about how the government will rise to the challenge through the Regional Recruitment Strategy. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
