Labour survey seeks respondents

Joshua Nolet helped develop the employment survey that has been underway in Kanesatake since last spring, and the Kanehsata’kehró:non is looking forward to seeing how the data it yields might help others find something he currently enjoys - work he finds meaningful.

“It means a lot because my family, people I’ve known, community members that I’ve grown with, I see the mentality of the options they think they have, and I want everyone to realize everyone has so much more, that they don’t even realize,” said Nolet, who previously worked at the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) doing social assistance, but before that got by with odd jobs.

Nolet, now a workforce development liaison officer for the First Nations Human Resources Development Commission of Quebec (FNHRDCQ), which runs the survey, will be serving as the local point person helping the Kanesatake Employment and Training Service Center (KETSC) reach its goal of 400 local respondents.

The survey is also being conducted in other First Nations communities in Quebec through the FNHRDCQ.

“For Kanesatake, and really for many if not all of the communities that are participating in it, it really helps find where a lot of our Indigenous people are in terms of their education, their employment, their employment history, and the type of employment they seek out and they want to do as opposed to having to do,” said Nolet.

He said the more Kanehsata’kehró:non who respond, the better the information will be.

“It’s important for as many people to participate in it as we can because we really want to know where our youth and our elder generation are coming from and where they’re going and where they want to go,” said Nolet.

Survey responses are confidential, he said, but the data the survey will produce will be used to help KETSC better gear its educational and employment opportunities to the community’s wants and needs.

However, with such an ambitious target, it can be easier said than done. About 235 respondents have filled out the survey so far.

“The 200 first people were really easy,” said Tess Lalonde, who was coordinating outreach from May until December but recently stepped back to attend classes.

“It was a good ride,” she said, noting she especially enjoyed learning about the certifications many women in the community possess.

The survey was originally meant to take 16 weeks but has been extended multiple times and is currently set to finish at the end of March, and some changes include new monthly draws.

One of five winners of a $100 Metro gift card in the December draw was Jennifer Trentin, who filled out the survey using her phone at the community Christmas brunch. It was Lalonde who inspired her to take the plunge. “The monetary incentive was a bonus, too,” Trentin said - respondents receive a $25 gift card just for filling out the survey.

“I think these types of initiatives are quite important,” Trentin said. “It’s good for KETSC to know and understand the skills and training levels of community members and perhaps what their professional interests are so that programs could be created.”

She added that it would be good if KETSC can find ways to reach out to specific individuals with opportunities that suit them.

“It’s going to be beneficial for Kanesatake to have some data on our workforce, also to have some future knowledge of what will be needed in regards to training to be offered or training or employment in the community,” said Michelle Lamouche, manager of KETSC.

“By knowing the survey, we’ll be able to gear our training to what we need - electricians, plumbers, carpenters, in the community,” she said, noting other kinds of programs, like training for personal support workers for local facilities or the new college-affiliated media training program that was partly a response to the needs of Reviving Kanehsatà:ke Radio 101.7 FM.

“It’s for the people, the members of Kanesatake, the youth, the people who want to change a career,” Lamouche said.

“It’s important to engage them in having a purpose, to get up in the morning and say I’m going to school, I’m going to take training as a carpenter, I’m going to be able to work in my community and offer my services, start my own business. I think it’s important to give purpose to people in their life.”

The survey can be taken online at pmo-wfp.ca/pmo. Registered members of Kanesatake, whether on or off territory, are eligible to participate. Those who prefer to do the survey in person can contact Nolet at [email protected].

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter