Mr. Speaker, yesterday I tabled a report by the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning which is an Indigenous-centered educational institution based here in the Northwest Territories. It integrates traditional knowledge and land-based learning into post-secondary education.
The report describes the results of a three-year study to determine what are the economic benefits of investing in Indigenous-centered adult education. Surveys and interviews were conducted with Dechinta students, alumni, staff, and elders to gather information on their educational goals and achievements, labour market participation, health, mental health, and life satisfaction.
The report focuses on the return on investment, specifically for Indigenous students living in the North. Now, unsurprisingly, both students and employed elders reported improvements in their health and mental health, but what is more remarkable is the concrete social and financial impacts that were documented. The report found that if you have a community where more Indigenous adults get even one year of post-secondary education, the all-cause mortality in that community -- so the number of deaths -- can be reduced by 9 percent. The estimated marginal tax revenue for just one cohort of Dechinta students is $3.6 million per year due to the increased labour market participation.
Yesterday I was talking about how adult education should not be treated as a remedial program that highlights someone's failures to graduate from high school. Instead, it can be transformative. And that's exactly what Dechinta is trying to do. Beyond individual literacy, beyond even family-based literacy, this is community-based literacy in action. The learning semesters involve everyone together out on the land, you have adult students along with elders, and even children's programs alongside them.
Now, Dechinta does not replace the need for other post-secondary options and the kinds of programs that are offered by colleges and polytechnic institutes and universities. Where Dechinta has been very effective is as a gateway for adults to build confidence that they do belong in secondary learning and they don't need to leave culture, community, and traditional knowledge behind to gain further education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.
Member’s Statement 481-20(1):
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we often hear the saying in sports, you miss 100 percent of the shots that you don't take. Well, Mr. Speaker, I want to suggest that the same thing is true in terms of attracting funding for government projects, funding for projects such as the polytechnic university. And I want to speak a little bit today about what we're missing out on by not bringing the polytechnic to fruition as quickly as we need to.
Mr. Speaker, in November, Inuit Nunangat University initiative received $50 million donation from the Mastercard Foundation, and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed said his organization would be requesting an additional $50 million of support from the federal government in the upcoming budget.
Mr. Speaker, as I've spoken about several times in this House, Yukon University has attracted a lot of funding because they transitioned to a university, and they chose to go forward with a visionary plan, and in 2019, the federal government gave them $26 million for a new science facility.
Mr. Speaker, eyes are looking north. There are millions of dollars being put towards northern universities for infrastructure and research, but we are not capturing this money.
Mr. Speaker, the foundational review of Aurora College noted that this is an increasingly competitive environment, and the NWT stands at risk of falling behind our neighbours. That is exactly what I see happening now seven years after the foundational review was released. Mr. Speaker, the NWT is way behind our neighbours in the Yukon and, now, I fear that I see us falling behind Nunavut as well.
Mr. Speaker, applied research is a key focus of polytechnics and takes several forms. A unique one is collaborative research programs involving faculty, students, and industry or community partners. This kind of offering would help Aurora College become a hub for northern-led research bringing important research dollars into our communities. A recent study by Polytechnics Canada found that for every dollar invested in applied research, there is a return that ranges from a low of $8 to a high of $18. For example, since transitioning to university status in 2013, research dollars at Saskatchewan Polytechnic grew from $845,000 to $6.3 million. I've run out of time, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to finish this story tomorrow. But I'll have questions for the Minister of ECE at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
