Deh Cho

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. This time of the year is time for graduations, and this department, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, aside from the Department of Health and Social Services, is the second-biggest department in the GNWT. Can the Minister please inform us of the results of the various education initiatives undertaken over the past few years to renew our education system and motivate our students? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 76)

I think the Minister has stated that some aspects of the policy is working, but I didn't hear a commitment. Will the Minister commit to having his department bring forward innovative ideas from improving Aboriginal employment rights? As an example, what about an Aboriginal employee advocate who is tasked to work with management to assist interested Aboriginal employees seeking employment with the GNWT?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 76)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I understand that hiring practices now include the requirement to do a written test to qualify for a job interview. If this is a standard approach across the GNWT, then it needs to change, because it discourages potentially dedicated Aboriginal employees who were deprived of good educational opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, the Affirmative Action Policy needs to be revised and updated, and the government's political leaders and top senior managers need to recommit today to making the policy's goal a reality. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 76)

My other question is: when the performance of deputy ministers is reviewed, are they graded on how successful they have been in reaching the Aboriginal employment targets that the policy is designed to reach?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Finance. The GNWT's Affirmative Action Policy dates back at least as far back as 1989, when it succeeded the Native Employment Policy. It was meant to even the playing field for Aboriginal people by giving us priority hiring opportunities when seeking employment with the GNWT. This was done out of a recognition that many Aboriginal people have faced systemic and other barriers to getting a good education and also when applying for a job. My question is: why has the Affirmative Action Policy not been updated in the last 30 years? What...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 76)

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has the goal of employing a public service that is representative of the general population that it serves. The NWT's population is almost exactly 50 percent non-Aboriginal and 50 percent Aboriginal. This means that 50 percent of the GNWT's public service should ideally be composed of Aboriginal employees. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

According to the GNWT's 2018 Public Service Annual Report, only 30.5 percent of the territorial government's workforce is made up of Indigenous Aboriginal people, who are defined in the policy as people of Dene, Metis, or Inuit...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is pretty clear that, yes, indeed, there should be a system to help Indigenous people, and I think that the Minister has clearly stated that it should be based on merit. I agree with that. Is it a standard employment practice that anyone applying for a GNWT job, anyone, must first write a written test? Are exceptions being made for Aboriginal people applying for jobs, especially in areas such as labour, where writing is not a required skill or, for example, where their Aboriginal language could be used? Mahsi.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 75)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Clause 2 of Bill 29 provides for Northwest Territories' municipalities to be included under ATIPP by extending the definition of a "public body" to include municipalities as defined under the Cities, Towns and Villages Act, the Charter Communities Act, or the Hamlets Act. Clause 2 also specifies that a municipality must be designated in the regulations in order for ATIPP to take effect. This mechanism ensures that municipalities do not immediately assume responsibilities under the amended legislation when it goes into force, but rather when the GNWT amends the regulations.

Cl...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 75)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am challenged in making statements in my language. I could only talk about what I know from the heart.

Today is a good day and, once again, another spring season has dawned upon us. "We only live once a day," a late relative would say. This led me to ask: as Dene, how can we make things better?

[Translation] Our elders stated, "We are born. Then we die. Our hope is that we leave a good trail for another generation to follow. How we think, how we feel is critical. We think good, then we also feel very good for ourselves and others." [Translation ends.]

Mr. Speaker, alcohol...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I wanted to ask is the Minister noted an interesting initiative between Health and Social Services and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to try to not encourage, but to meet the interests of elders who want to live in their homes for as long as possible. Is there any immediate initiatives that could encourage or else at least reassure elders who want to live in their homes that at some point, there could be some tailored or customized programs to meet their needs, whether it's building access ramps for the wheelchairs, or whether it's for enhancements...