New Scholarships Help Train Mi'kmaq Correctional Officers
New provincial scholarships announced today, May 24, will open up employment opportunities and help more Mi'kmaq students train for a rewarding career as a correctional officer.
The province is providing $57,000 to fund four scholarships available to Mi'kmaq students from across Nova Scotia.
"Every young person has the drive and potential within them to make something of themselves," said Premier Darrell Dexter, who is also Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. "What they sometimes lack is the support--financial or otherwise--to be able to follow through on their dreams.
"This initiative is helping to support young aboriginal people, build a stronger and more diverse workforce, and further grow our partnership with the Mi'kmaq."
The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs will award the scholarships through the KMK Negotiations Office, which will identify and select the recipients.
"Today's announcement is part of an improved process of justice for Mi'kmaq and Aboriginal people and will foster an improved relationship between Mi'kmaq and Aboriginal people and the Canadian justice system," said Chief Janette Peterson, Assembly's Lead Chief on Justice.
Nova Scotia Correctional Services will provide on-the-job placements for the Mi'kmaq students who receive the scholarships. Right now there are approximately 250 correctional officers employed in five facilities in Nova Scotia. Correctional Services regularly recruits correctional officers.
"As an Aboriginal Liaison Officer for Nova Scotia Correctional Services, I feel this scholarship is a step forward to integrate First Nations people into a career field that is worthy to pursue," said Trevor Sanipass, Correctional Officer at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility.
"Aboriginal ideals for restorative justice that center on traditional values and practices are all free, but they need people to carry them into the institutions, and these people need help to get there," said Acting Captain Jordan Francis, Cape Breton Correctional Facility. "The more Aboriginal people embrace the criminal justice system, the more we can add to it and learn to work as part of the force that shapes it."