LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
After decades working in the field of education, Rosemary Gill has announced she will be running for MLA in the upcoming territorial election.

Rosemary Gill plans to run for MLA in the Nahendeh riding. Voting day is Nov. 23. - photo courtesy of Rosemary Gill

Gill speaks South Slavey and English and is incorporating both languages into her campaign. Having worked for aboriginal governments in the past, she said she decided it is time to "get out there and try to make a difference."

Gill, who grew up in Fort Simpson and returned to the hamlet in 2011 after seven years of being away, currently works as the program head for Aurora College.

There, she said, she often sees students come in who are only at a Grade 5 to 6 literacy level.

"Literacy levels are just way too low. We need to improve those rates, because this is just not acceptable," she said.

Literacy levels tie in with another issue Gill feels strongly about: graduation rates.

"Something needs to happen. We see it at the other end, after Grade 12, when high school students are not graduating with the skills they need for the future," she said.

"We need to look elsewhere and see what's working elsewhere, and implement it here."

Having worked in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Gill said she has seen the positive impacts elsewhere when a community works to get its graduation and literacy rates up.

She cites former prime minister Paul Martin's aboriginal education initiative as one example of a program that has seen results, and said she would like to see a similar program brought into the Northwest Territories.

"It affects everything if we don't have a population that's literate," she said.

"(Many) residents in the territories don't have the literacy skills to function, and here we are, we're not funding the upgrading program unless they're a year before Grade 12. (We're) doing a disservice to all those people."

Alongside literacy, Gill wants to see Fort Simpson become more of a trades hub.

"I would advocate for a trade centre here and connect it with the school. The Dene people are very tactile and hands-on, and we really need to look at trades," she said.

Aside from education, Gill wants the territorial government and Dehcho First Nation to work more closely on the Dehcho Process.

"Both sides have dug in their heels, but they can't just stop and say, 'That's it -- that's our position.' They need to be engaged and talking," she said.

"We need to be more collaborative. I think the more you meet, the more you talk and interact, the easier it is to come to some kind of agreement. I think one of the things I would commit to is making sure more meetings happen."

A new Liberal federal government could also change the negotiations, she said.

"First Nations are hoping good faith negotiations will happen and treaties will be honoured," she said.

"That is certainly something that has been lacking in this region for some time."

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