Caroline Wawzonek

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of programs existing already within the Department of Finance and specifically within the human resources department that are meant to address exactly the challenge that I am hearing. For example, the Indigenous Career Gateway Program is an opportunity for Indigenous candidates to be given training in order to assume positions within the GNWT. Regional Recruitment Program is another opportunity that is meant to link opportunities that come available within regions and to identify when there is an opportunity that requires some training in order to help a person...

Candidates who apply and who are eligible for an appeal, which is individuals who identify themselves as being candidates, would be potentially able to appeal. Those processes are reviewed by independent staffing officers. Independent staffing officers, there is a regulation that applies in terms of identifying who those individuals are. They have to meet a certain set of criteria including the fact that they are outside of the service of the GNWT, and those are the individuals who would review those appeals.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to supporting and providing employment opportunities to northern students and graduates. As part of this commitment, the Department of Finance manages programs and initiatives aimed at creating employment opportunities for northern students and at helping to provide diverse work experiences for young people.

Part of the success of these programs depends on people knowing about them in order to access them. The Department of Finance wants to improve our communication about all available programs, and to set an example, I will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First and foremost, one of the most important parts for the Department of Finance in this regard is to ensure the relationship that we have with the unions, the UNW, and the NWT Teachers' Association. That, certainly, has been part and parcel of going forward with those plans to ensure that we are engaged with them, and that they are also aware of any steps that are being taken with respect to the Public Service Act.

In addition to which, this certainly is something that has been worked on extensively in the department over the last couple of months and is continuing...

It is part of an annual budgeting process where there are $40,000 in total available through the Department of Finance to departments that they seek to avail themselves of the program, to a maximum of 15 positions per year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a fairly new program. I believe that is the first year, and, if I am wrong, I will commit to correcting that. In 2018-2019, in that fiscal year, there were 12 department applications, and in 2019-2020, there were seven. In total at the moment, there are 19 positions that are going through that Indigenous Career Gateway Program. Thank you.

The powers under the Residential Tenancies Act were recently transferred from being restricted to the Territorial Court to Supreme Court, which certainly did increase the suite of options available to judges and improve the options in terms of their enforceability. The Residential Tenancies Act is aimed at essentially settling disputes between individuals who have civil disputes. Certainly, the suggestion that there should be powers more akin to criminal law powers is not going to be appropriate or even possible within the jurisdiction of the act. To that extent, in my view, it is already...

Mr. Speaker, in fact, we have once -- once -- to my knowledge laid a charge, back in 2001.

Many, many years ago, there were some reviews of the Affirmative Action Policy but it has certainly not been any time within recent memory. I can confirm, Mr. Speaker, I have already requested and received a briefing on specifically the issue of the Affirmative Action Policy from the department. It, certainly, is on the radar, if I might say so in that way, that it is something the department is alive to, and that there may be a need to modernize that policy. For the moment, the next step would simply be to do that work within the department, and to bring it to Cabinet to see that it does see...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Affirmative Action Policy is one tool that the Government of the Northwest Territories uses to ensure that we have a representative workforce, and in so doing, in addition to having that policy and having that in place for all hiring across the Northwest Territories, there are efforts made in the course of the careers recruitment process to provide assistance. There is a help section within the website and within the department that could assist individuals in terms of resume writing and can assist them with interview preparation. In addition to that...