This section is devoted to building a working knowledge of key contributing factors that should be taken into account when designing victim services, and other types of human services and programming in the Northwest Territories NWT.
They also asked that a clear picture be drawn, for policy and decision makers at all levels of government, of the many challenges and obstacles that exist in terms of victim services program development and delivery in the Northwest Territories communities. Accordingly, this chapter is devoted to these two topics: a general overview of the differences between First Nations, Inuit, and Metis cultures and the dominant Canadian culture; and a general overview of the challenges and obstacles inherent in victim services program development and delivery in NWT communities.
This first section of this chapter describes the differences between the dominant "western" culture in Canada and the indigenous cultures living in NWT. It represents simply a basic overview, for the purposes of program planning, of major differences between Euro-Canadian and indigenous cultures in areas that have some impact on program planning.
In short, this chapter outlines and describes information pertinent to understanding victim service delivery in the Northwest Territories. This information includes:. There are 30 communities in the Northwest Territories with a total population of 40, people. The largest of these are Yellowknife population 18, , Hay River population 3, , Inuvik population 3, and Fort Smith population 2, The remainder of the population is largely Euro-Canadian Visible minorities make up 6.
The largest visible minority groups are South Asian, Chinese and Filipino. The bulk of the population is younger than the overall national population. NWT residents are coping with social conditions and health problems that are well beyond the circumstances of southern Canadians.
