Canada failing on aboriginal rights: UN
'Take A Kid Trapping' example of positive change and a model for the rest of the country, says Conference Board of Canada
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, May 19, 2014
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The United Nations preliminary report on the rights of indigenous peoples in Canada, released last week, stated that many aboriginal human rights issues have reached "crisis proportions."
Jeff Canadien displays some of the pelts that he helped trap during the Take a Kid Trapping Program run by Deh Gah School in Fort Providence in March 2010 - photo courtesy of Deh Gah School |
James Anaya, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the report's researcher and author, stated in the report that residential schools and unresolved treaty and land claims issues have contributed to distrust between aboriginal people and all levels of government.
Anaya stated that federal, provincial and territorial efforts to address issues were often insufficient.
But Anja Jeffrey, Centre for the North director for the Conference Board of Canada, said while the report also cited some of the positive projects taking place, she believes a few other programs should have made the list.
A report published earlier this year by the Conference Board of Canada, titled Building Our Strengths, Aboriginal Youth Wellness in Canada's North, listed some of the projects taking place throughout the North.
Jeffrey said the Northwest Territories' Take A Kid Trapping program was one of the programs highlighted in the report.
"Take A Kid Trapping for instance, is both a bottom up and a top down initiative," Jeffrey said. "That's what makes it quite beautiful."
Jeffrey said the program, and others similar to it, are examples of how communities can improve the lives of residents, particularly youth.
"Circling back to the UN report, this is where we need to start in order to improve performance, the type of performance as a country that James Anaya was criticizing in the report," she said. "We believe that you really need to get to the roots. You need to get to where people are and you need the youth in particular. You need to help them see a vision for themselves as to who they are and what they can become. How they can meaningfully partake both in wage economy and be part of their traditional system and finding ways to empower them so they don't feel so lost."
John Colford, manager of traditional economy, agriculture and fisheries with the NWT Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, is one of the program's founders.
He said the program was developed in 2002 to help the territory's ailing fur industry.
There were only about 450 trappers in the territory at that time and the average age was about 50 or 60 years old.
"No disrespect to the fellows that were out there. They were doing a great job, but the numbers were declining," he said. "It was simply a matter of time. In my estimation, had we not done something, we probably would have seen the sector evaporate, or it would have expired as our last trapper would have expired."
Working with Guy Erasmus and Francois Rossouw, the program was first delivered at the K'alemi Dene School in Ndilo.
While the first few years were slow, the program exploded in 2005 with 788 participants, Colford said.
Since then, that number has grown to more than 3,000 kids participating in 58 programs.
While many were repeat participants, Colford said the program has now been delivered in every community in the territory.
"I think it works out to close to 30 to 35 per cent of the kids attending school have been through the program last year," he said.
Colford said Take A Kid Trapping and Take A Kid Harvesting programs, which teach hunting and other skills, not only connects elders and youth, they also provide another form of education essential in many communities.
The programs are facilitated through local schools.
"Ninety per cent of the households in Colville Lake rely on food from the land for 50 per cent or more of their meals every day," Colford said. "So the passing on of these traditional life skills is an important thing to do."
It also teaches youth to become self-sufficient, he added.
In small communities, where part-time jobs are scarce, Colford said trapping is a way for youth to earn their own money.
"Trapping is a part-time job," he said. "You can go out and set a snare line or a trap line and tend to it and earn income from it."
Colford said he often emphasizes the concept of wage-earning when speaking to youth about the program.
"You want to get a new snowmobile. That's 100 marten," he said. "Believe it or not, their interest is piqued. They sit there and they listen. They can do the math as well as I can, and they go out and they do the job."
He said there are now nearly 800 trappers in the NWT, with an average age of about 45.
Colford said the program is beneficial to both trappers and the communities in which they live.
"It's a good lifestyle, it's a healthy lifestyle. You're outdoors, it's as cold as all get out. It's hard work, but it's honest work and you're earning an honest day's pay for your efforts," he said. "There are many positives that you get out of this and there are many positives that that brings to the community."
Colford said whatever the incentive, the program is working.
"I look at the lists every year and I see kids as young as 11 and 12 selling fur," he said.
Jeffrey said she believes the program is a success story that will inspire other jurisdictions. She said providing support and funding to similar projects are steps toward making positive change throughout Canada.
"There are ways that we can look at what will improve the plight of Canada's aboriginal population," she said. "We have to start small and we will have to direct our funds to these initiatives."
