Western premiers back aboriginal training strategy

Paul Okalik, the premier of Nunavut, says he’s solidly behind a plan to create an aboriginal training strategy for the western provinces and northern territories.

“Training is not about just working in government. We meed more Inuit trained in the trades,” Okalik said, pointing out that his government is committed to opening a trades school somewhere in Nunavut before the next election.

Western and northern premiers agreed to the idea of an aboriginal training strategy after meeting last week in Lloydminster, on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

It’s part of a wider effort by provinces and territories to create a national training strategy aimed at meeting skills shortages created by the resource development boom in western and northern Canada.

The premiers say they’ll invite western and northern aboriginal leaders to a meeting this summer to talk about developing the strategy. The time and place have yet to be announced.

Okalik said Inuit organizations in Nunavut will be invited to participate, and that he wants to go too.

“I will be available for any meeting to talk about training for Inuit,” Okalik said.

At last week’s western premiers meeting, provincial and territorial first ministers also reaffirmed their support for the devolution of responsibility for public lands and natural resources from Ottawa to the Nunavut government, Okalik said.

Okalik says he’s grateful for the support of western premiers in pushing Ottawa to move on the issue.

This fall, the federal cabinet is expected to give the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development a formal mandate to begin devolution talks with the GN. Barring unforeseen delays, a devolution deal could be done by 2008, the approximate date of Nunavut’s next territorial election.

Okalik also said his fellow premiers also recognize the near-total absence of transportation infrastructure in Nunavut.

Last week, the western premiers declared in a communiqué that transportation infrastructure, trade, training, and post-secondary education must be Canada’s first economic priorities.

As part of that commitment, they support the creation of transportation strategies for Nunavut and the other two territories.

“As you know, in Nunavut, we don’t have any roads and we don’t have a port to speak of,” Okalik said.

As for the prospect of a federal election this spring or summer that could produce a new, possibly Conservative, government, Okalik says he’s not worried that this would interrupt or delay various federal activities that are now underway, such as devolution, or the Northern Strategy.

He said he’s met with the leaders of all the opposition parties in the House of Commons, and that he’s confident that they support Nunavut’s aspirations.

Prime Minister Paul Martin said this week that he will propose a vote of confidence on May 19. If his governing Liberals lose that vote, Martin said he will ask that Parliament be dissolved and an election be called.