Agreement expects to build employment for Meadow Lake First Nations

The Government of Saskatchewan says the Aboriginal Employment Partnership is not a "band-aid" approach to resolving the longstanding issue of a low Aboriginal presence in the province's workforce.
"It's a very strategic and focused approach to employment development over the long-term," said Victoria Gubbels, the Government of Saskatchewan's director of Aboriginal development branch. It's not a quick fix, it's more or less a community development model we're using."
Saskatchewan's Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) is the newest group of First Nations to commit to a partnership with both the Federal and Provincial government to increase the amount of Aboriginals in Canada's job market.
The Aboriginal Employment Development Program (AED) gives the 12,000 members of MLTC better access to training and employment opportunities, by connecting the community with various companies.
The partnership is guided by a committee, which includes representatives from MLTC and both governments that will address the specific barriers that interfere with some members of the Aboriginal community finding jobs.
Tom Iron, MLTC's Aboriginal employment development coordinator, said it is the "myths and misconceptions" that others have towards Aboriginal people that can sometimes fuel discrimination by employers.
"I've seen racism in some organizations that needs to be dealt with," said Iron, who is a member of the AED committee. He added that one of the goals is to have more First Nation and Métis people fill management level positions. Iron describes the initiative of the AED as a "two-way avenue" that requires an open line of communication.
Furthermore, discrimination towards Aboriginal people in the workplace can be diminished with educating non-Aboriginal people about the facts, said Iron.
Gubbels agreed that giving employers and staff information about First Nations and Métis people is one of the first steps to creating a successful environment for both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginal people.
"We do a myths and misconceptions training for all the employees," said Gubbels, who explained the point of the training is to inform staff that everyone is hired based on their skill level, as opposed to their nationality.
Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Thunderchild First Nation and Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs, are just a few of the other communities that have also signed on to the AED.
MLTC's Chief Helen Ben signed the partnership with the support of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) on June 16.
Once a community has signed the agreement, a coordinator is provided by the Provincial Government to create support from local employers who are interested in becoming a part of the partnership. Each AED partnership is eligible for up to $50,000 to fund the program.
Relationships with several health authorities, universities and large corporations have been built in order to offer specific training to Aboriginal communities in order to qualify them to meet the demand of each individual sector, Gubbels said.
"That's our goal: to make sure Aboriginal people get the information, get the skills and choose careers."
To date, the Government of Saskatchewan has formed 102 AED partnerships across the province.