The chair of the premier’s new task force on aboriginal youth is confident her work will make a difference.
Saskatoon backbench MLA Jennifer Campeau was appointed to the role last week.
She says her job is to engage aboriginal youth, to find out what barriers they are facing and make sure government programs get results.
“It’s time to start asking the youth what they will need and what will work for them and what tools they will need in order to be successful in terms of education and training,” she says.
Campeau says the task force will get input from the group most directly affected by government programs or initiatives aimed at improving the economic outlook for Aboriginals.
Campeau is from the Yellowquill First Nation, east of Saskatoon.
She has a masters in business administration and a long track record of encouraging aboriginal youth to get into business.
The Saskatoon-Fairview MLA is the first First Nations woman to win a seat for the Sask Party.
Campeau says she knows how important education is as during her teen years she was a single mom with no real economic prospects at the time.
She is currently working on a PhD in native studies.