Dene Nation passes resolutions on education, homelessness, medical travel

Dene National Assembly delegates passed 11 resolutions on its final day related to supporting unhoused Dene citizens, data sovereignty and culturally safe medical travel – but the main topic was education.

“Education is a treaty right. That promise has never been fully kept,” said Teetł’it Gwich’in Council Chief Elizabeth Wright in a presentation ahead of a resolution on education and schooling in Dene communities.

The resolution, which passed unanimously, directs the Dene Nation to advocate for “dedicated, stable and multi-year education funding for schools in Dene communities” from the GNWT and federal government.

That money, it proposes, would be used for Dene language instruction and immersion in schools, cultural and land-based programming, one-on-one supports for students with learning needs, improved school facilities, and “the recruitment, professional housing and retention of qualified teachers and principals” as well as the training of Dene teachers.

The resolution was amended to include advocating for the reinstatement of the NWT teacher training program.

Wright and other delegates pointed to lower attendance and graduation rates, and students having to repeat grades, as examples of issues within and outside the school system that affect children’s participation and success.

Concerns raised included overcrowded homes, students not eating breakfast before school, teacher cuts that place multiple grades together in one classroom, communities not having long-term teachers, drugs and alcohol, and a general lack of funding.

Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation Chief Kele Antoine described a need for more qualified counsellors in schools to help parents get children with learning challenges diagnosed, and also to support teachers. He said parents are choosing not to send their kids to school because their needs aren’t being met.

“If we want our children to succeed in the schools, then we must also recognize and support what they’re going through outside of it, because a lot of those issues just travel with them from home and into the schools,” said Antoine.

Some delegates called on parents to take more responsibility in making sure their children get to school and have the support they need.

“The parents need to make sure that kids go to school. If the kid doesn’t want to go, you make them go,” said Yellowknives Dene First Nation member Roy Erasmus.

Jennifer Drygeese from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation said the First Nation wants to hire a child and youth manager and academic coordinator who can advocate to schools on students’ behalf and ensure they have supports. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation also wants to provide prevention training for parents to teach them: “how do you help your child succeed?”

“A lot of times, those parents are in survival. They’re just trying to provide for their kids,” said Drygeese of the impact high living costs have on education.

Dene National Chief George Mackenzie told delegates they can’t blame parents for issues with the education system, pointing again to factors like overcrowding, short-term teachers and parents dealing with trauma.

“If we break this generational trauma, our children are going to do a lot better,” said Elder David Poitras.

“We do our best to make education a good place for our children. At the same time, we do our best to deal with intergenerational trauma so we all have the best chance in the future of really doing good.”

Other resolutions

Some resolutions were submitted by delegates in advance and others were raised over the course of this week’s assembly. Because of time constraints, Dene Nation staff only presented resolutions submitted in advance for a vote, saying other resolutions would be addressed at future meetings.

Wright asked the Dene Nation to provide better reporting and tracking of resolutions passed at assemblies, and suggested creating a spreadsheet that lists timelines, responsible parties and actions.

The Dene Nation passed resolutions to:

• advocate for funding for the Dene Cultural Institute, which had its building destroyed in the 2023 wildfires;
• establish a Dene think tank described as a “Dene-led research and policy body to support the Dene Nation across the areas of governance, Treaty and rights advocacy, land and resource stewardship, language and culture, and economic and resource strategy”;
• establish a Dene water council “dedicated to protecting, preserving, monitoring, and restoring the waters of Dene Territory”;
• explore Dene jurisdiction over child welfare and child and family services;
• create legislation and policies on protecting Dene knowledge and data sovereignty;
• advocate for unhoused Dene citizens in Denendeh;
• support Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Indian Act and call on the House of Commons to pass the bill “without further delay”;
• support a Yellowknives Dene conservation area protecting Bathurst Caribou; and
• transfer control of medical travel administration to Dene, Indigenous, regional and community organizations.

The final resolution passed was to hold the next Dene National Assembly in Fort McPherson, then have it return to Fort Simpson in 2028.

Recordings of the 56th Dene National Assembly are available on the Dene Nation’s YouTube channel.