The Purpose of the TCSA

The purpose of the Tłıchǫ Community Services Agency (TCSA) is to improve the health, wellness and education of the people in Tłıchǫ communities by providing a range of easily accessible, integrated programs and services. The Agency manages the delivery of education, health, wellness and social programs and services for the NWT communities of Behchokǫ̀ (Rae-Edzo), Gamètı̀ (Rae Lakes), Wekweetı̀ (Snare Lake) and Whatı̀ (Lac La Martre).

Our Agency is both new and old: established on August 4, 2005, the Agency is a creation of the Tłıchǫ Agreement. Section 7.10 of the Tłıchǫ Agreement called for an Intergovernmental Services Agreement (ISA) between the Government of Canada, the Government of the NWT and the Tłıchǫ Government. The ISA creates the Agency and ensures that it continues to perform the educational, health and social
programs and services of the organizations from which it emerged, including the former Dogrib Community Services Board (1997-2005), the Dogrib Divisional Board of Education (1989-1997) and the Rae-Edzo School Society (1967-1989).

Our Agency’s mission statement includes a contextual preamble which makes the statement much longer than is the practice of most organizations. This was intentional, as it was believed to be critically important to highlight the unique nature of the Agency, the Tłı̀chǫ people, and the communities it serves.

Preamble

For thousands of years, Tłı̀chǫ people have lived in harmony with their families, their communities and with the land. Our people took pride in passing on our knowledge, skills and values to each generation and in the excellence of this tradition, our survival as a people was assured. In this century we became dependent on the church and the government and in this loss of control, we find that our families, the community, language and culture are threatened. Our very survival as a people is at stake. Thus…

Mission

The mission of the TCSA is to develop a continuum of care that will return control of education, health and social programs and services to the people of our communities, support them in the task of strengthening their families, promote the knowledge and skills they need to survive today and model the values they need to live in harmony with their families, our communities and our land.

Vision

“Do Nake Lani Nats’etso…Strong like Two People”

In 1971 a frail Chief Jimmy Bruneau officially opened the new Edzo school that was to bear his name. On this occasion, he spoke of the importance of a model of bicultural and bilingual education where equal emphasis must be given to educating children in two cultures. Some years later in 1991 at a meeting to discuss the work of a new Board of Education, a respected Behchokǫ̀ elder, Elizabeth Mackenzie, commented on her understanding of the words of Chief Jimmy Bruneau. She described his vision as asking for his people to be “Strong Like Two People”.

Strategic Alignment of TCSA Goals and Priorities in Education

Each priority area is supported by a number of operational goals and key actions for each year of the strategic plan. Those are outlined annually in the operational plan and are reported on in the annual report, both of which are tabled in the Legislative Assembly and are available to the public.