OTTAWA – Local MP Bruce Hyer is recognizing the vast potential of Canada’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth on this year’s National Aboriginal Day, which is dedicated to youth this year. At the same time, the MP is recognizing the challenges young Aboriginal people face in achieving that potential. “It has been fifteen years since the first formal National Aboriginal Day in Canada,” said Hyer. “But it has surely been centuries since the Aboriginal people here first chose this day, the first day of summer, to come together in celebration.”
“This is the Year of Youth. It should be a year to dedicate ourselves to healing the wounds of the past, wounds which hold back many of our Aboriginal youth from achieving their full potential,” continued Hyer. “There are health services to be improved, and housing to be built. There is a need to provide the basic rights of life – like clean water – to all Canadians. There is a deep funding gap in education. The list of issues to address is lengthy. But all Canadians are responsible for making sure Aboriginal youth have the same chance to begin their adult lives on a good footing as their Non-Native peers have.”
“This is also a year to recognize great opportunity,” added Hyer. “Aboriginal people are the fastest growing group in Canada. The average age of First Nations people in Canada is just 24 …and dropping. And with the retirements of the baby boomers, employers are looking at Aboriginal youth to be a major part of their new workforce.”
“Let’s get our youth ready,” continued Hyer. “Let’s build better schools, and provide more training in essential skills. Let’s make getting a high school education safer. Let’s push for more high-quality trades training and accessible post-secondary education. I often state that if the Aboriginal people of our region do well, we will all do well. If we help Aboriginal youth take advantage of these opportunities, they – and all of us – will succeed.” concluded the Thunder Bay Superior North MP.