Community Priorities for Education

Community participants told us that their priorities for the future include primary, secondary and post-secondary education with an emphasis on assisting Aboriginal children to stay in school, keep them in school, and graduate from high school.

Goal One: Enhance the successful entrance and completion of primary, secondary and post-secondary education for Métis and off-reserve First Nations people. 

Our Objectives

1. Increase retention rates in high school for Métis and off-reserve First Nations students.
2. Increase the proportion of Métis and off-reserve First Nations students completing high school, or an equivalent.
3. Increase literacy rates, academic upgrading and life skills of Métis and off-reserve First Nations people.
4. Increase enrollment and completion rates for Métis and off-reserve First Nations people in university, technical education, apprenticeship and training programs.
5. Increase Aboriginal children’s readiness to learn, cope and problem-solve in the provincial school system.
6. Increase achievement rates for Métis and off-reserve First Nations students in the provincial school system.

Community Priorities in Preparing for Work

Community participants told us that their priorities for the future include skills training and work preparation to equip people so that they can actively participate in the provincial workforce.

Goal Two: Prepare Métis and off-reserve First Nations people to participate in a representative provincial workforce.

Our Objectives

1. Increase enrollment and completion rates for Métis and off-reserve First Nations students in apprenticeship, training and post-secondary education programs that relate to growth sectors of the economy and sectors with stable employment opportunities.
2. Ensure Métis and off-reserve First Nations youth make the transition from school to employment and training.

Community Priorities - The Provincial Economy

Community participants told us that their priorities for the future include jobs and economic development to facilitate family stability.

Goal Three: Ensure representative workforce participation by Métis and off-reserve First Nations people in the provincial economy.

Our Objectives

1. Increase the proportion of employed Métis and off-reserve First Nations people in the labour market to a representative level.
2. Achieve a representative presence of Métis and off-reserve First Nations people in the provincial public service by 2010, in accordance with government’s Employment Equity Plan, as directed by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
3. Achieve a representative presence of Métis and off-reserve First Nations people in economic development, business involvement, and as employers.

Community Priorities for Well-Being

Community participants told us that their priorities for the future include youth (keeping children off the streets and sport and recreation activities), the rising incidence of diabetes among Métis and off-reserve First Nations people, culturally-sensitive social services, and housing.

Goal Four: Improve individual and community well-being of Métis and off-reserve First Nations people.

Our Objectives

1. Expand access to culturally appropriate social services and reduce the need for such services among Métis and off-reserve First Nations people.
2. Bring Métis and off-reserve First Nations peoples’ participation rates in cultural, sport and recreational activities in line with non-Aboriginal participation rates.
3. Better meet the health needs of Métis and off-reserve First Nations people such that their health status approximates that of the non-Aboriginal population.
4. Increase Métis and off-reserve First Nations peoples’ representation on a minimum of four or five additional health governance structures, especially District Health Boards, until representative participation is achieved.
5. Develop culturally appropriate restorative justice strategies with Métis and off-reserve First Nations people that constructively respond to crime and reduce off-reserve Aboriginal crime rates.
6. Enhance the safety and security of Aboriginal women and children by reducing victimization rates.
7. Reduce the incidence of repeat offending among Métis and off-reserve First Nations people through reintegrative and rehabilitative correctional services.
8. Increase the proportion of Métis and off-reserve First Nations people living in adequate, affordable housing.