This level is a difficult place for young people to be on their developmental path, and signs of health at this level are not very positive for the Aboriginal job seeker. Ibbitson (2006) quoted research from Mendelson and told the reader, “If you’re an Indian in your 20’s living on a reserve, you need to leave right now.… Do not head for Winnipeg or Regina or Saskatoon. Move to Toronto or Ottawa or Montreal. Find a job, any job” (¶ 1).
There are many indicators of authority and structure related to employment systems, and perhaps that is the problem. The federal government has responsibilities, as do the provincial governments, for programs and services related to the development of a skilled workforce. There has been acknowledgement of a need to work together more effectively, as seen in the Government of Manitoba’s (n.d.b) report on their approach to order and structure for the northern communities. In this report the government described the Northern Development Strategy and told us that it
includes a commitment to work in partnership with northern people to improve their quality of life. It continues to build on the significant steps the province has taken to reduce the cost of living and increase access to important services, including employment and training opportunities. (p. 2)
This level looks at the system in relationship to a sustainable employment process and whether there is a clear plan that is affordable and achievable. Mendelson (2004) made the current situation clear in his discussion of relative unemployment rates. Mendelson told us, “We have not made progress in five years in improving the labour market position of Aboriginal peoples relative to the general population”
(p. 18). Philip Jarvis (2006), from the National Life/Work Centre, has had a long and impressive history impacting the career development process in Canada and has recently claimed that current processes are inefficient. Jarvis’s report presented an analysis of government spending related to employment and has this to say about money related to Social Services in Canada. “Almost $155 billion is invested by Canadians each year on social services, including social assistance and welfare. Fewer recipients would need assistance if more had the skills to find and keep work they love. A modest 1 percent improvement would save over $1.5 billion annually”
(p. 3).