Masi, Madam Speaker. The Minister of Finance talked about HR cultural awareness training program. I certainly hope it's not a video training program. The Minister in her department has to engage an elder in the community. I just want to make that clear.
[Translation] Madam Speaker, I'd like to talk about how, in terms of hiring, our people are held back within the government. When the GNWT hires, especially the men, they are at the bottom, the bottom of the list. The Minister of Finance, I have a question for you. It's under the Minister of Finance. People are being hired under the Minister of Finance. [Translation ends]
The Minister of Finance, who is also responsible for HR, what special initiatives is the Minister of Finance targeting this group of young male employment within GNWT, the number is so low; young Indigenous males, specifically, to increase their success in a work environment? Masi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are not specifically targeting men with this program. The intention at this point is to target Indigenous Aboriginal Northerners with respect to the framework, and that would include everything from ensuring that we look at the recruitment front end of it. If there's more Indigenous Northerners applying, I suppose if there are more Indigenous male Northerners applying, then that is more opportunity to have them hired. Once they are hired, if they are again able to participate in lots of the different programs that are currently available, whether it's management, training, whether it's the secondment opportunities, if they're able to participate in those programs, then they're moving up in the programs. If every department has targets within their departments, then each one can be held accountable to ensure that those things are happening. All of that is part of the framework that starts from even before someone is hired right up to the point of succession to senior management. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
I am glad the Minister brought up the target. I think it's very important to have each department have targets. When I talk about Indigenous male, eight, nine percent within GNWT. That is very low considering that 50 percent population of Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories, only 30 percent of our workforce is Aboriginal. Out of that, only eight to nine percent male. It is disappointing to see those stats. It's been there a long time now. I talk about decades. I'd like to ask the Minister of Finance if there could be established targets within each department to specifically hire those individuals within the Indigenous hiring; more specifically when I touch on male because we need to increase that number, as well.
Yes. The Indigenous framework that we are developing for the recruitment and retention framework is meant to have targets, department by department. That's really the answer to the question, Madam Speaker. It will have hiring targets. I have not been given any sense that men over women is going to be part of the targeting, but Indigenous affirmative action candidates will be part of those targets.
I'm glad the Minister is committed to providing those targets within each department. It's very important that we increase our Indigenous workforce within GNWT. Enough of talking about the 30 percent over the last 20, 30 years. Just put that into action. Within the life of this Assembly, I would love to see an increase in Aboriginal representation from 30 to 40, 50 percent, whatever the case is. I'm glad the Minister's committing to that. Our sister territory of Nunavut understands the problem of under representation of Indigenous male workforce, especially in the public service. That government had embarked on an aggressive strategy to empower young Inuit males to help them succeed in aspiration of a work environment. Is the Minister aware of those Nunavut government initiatives? Has she been paying attention to Nunavut approach to this issue, the challenge that we're faced with?
One of the first parts of the Indigenous recruitment retention framework action that's happening is, indeed, to conduct a jurisdictional scan to ensure that we are utilizing best practices from all jurisdictions, and Nunavut is certainly a core example, as is the Yukon. Both territories will be part of that, and we will indeed be incorporating best practices from those jurisdictions.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Madam Speaker. I'm glad that the Minister will be taking those best practices into consideration. My question is: when can we see those adaptations into our current policy within the department or departments in the GNWT? Madam Speaker, masi.
The work is already under way, and it is my expectation that both the framework and implementation plans for departments will be completed within the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
