Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like most Members of this House, I’ve received calls and e-mails from constituents who are concerned about the selection process used by the GNWT in the hiring of summer students. In my two years here, I’ve heard many times about the importance of our people, our residents, our children to this Territory. If this government is serious about our commitment to Northwest Territories students and we really do want them to return to the NWT to work, that we really do value them as NWT born and bred, then the Department of Human Resources must develop a better process to ensure fairness and equal opportunity in the hiring of summer students.
The Minister will say that a selection process is in place and, yes, it is. But the results of that process are haphazard and inconsistent. Success for the student that would be landing a GNWT job often depends on who knows who or who their parents know. There is no one method used to hire our summer students. Deputy ministers are left to their own devices when hiring students for their department.
This lack of a coordinated approach leads to the perception of favouritism, and often favouritism is actually the reality. I’m aware of at least three instances this year alone where the child of a deputy minister or a director has been hired for that department as a summer student, and the hiring occurred after other non-relative students had been told that there were no jobs available in that department. Such cherry picking cannot be tolerated.
I believe the first change in this hiring process must be to restrict the hiring of family members within a department for summer student employment. We should also consider paying our students less so that we can employ more of them.
The Department of Human Resources must take a more active and coordinating role where the hiring of summer students is concerned. The Human Resources staff are our experts in this area. They do hiring day in and day out; the various department staff do not. Why do we insist on an informal, unfair staffing model just because we’re hiring students?
This government contends that we want to be transparent and fair. At this point we are not and I call on the Minister of Human Resources to conduct a formal review of the summer student hiring process and effect some change for the better.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
