Debates of March 10, 2005 (day 53)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement today is about the application of the affirmative action policy in the GNWT. Mr. Speaker, I have raised this issue several times during this Third Session and feel the need to continue to raise this issue, given the circumstances around this issue and that the consolidation of the human resource function in the government is currently in the development stage and I cannot see a better time to address this ongoing concern.

Mr. Speaker, the affirmative action report published in 2004 says that corporate human resources implemented the Management Assignment Program, or MAP program, in June 2003, and goes on to say that this succession program will provide an opportunity for employees to demonstrate management and leadership skills. The MAP program will prepare affirmative action employees for progressive roles at the management level.

Mr. Speaker, Minister Roland invited me and others to let him know if there is a breach of policy taking place. The evidence of a breach of policy of the affirmative action policy is clear; it is supposed to apply to all programs in the GNWT and it does not. The application forms for the Management Assignment Program -- or MAP program -- do not even mention affirmative action status. Minister Roland stated that the MAP program applies to everybody in the GNWT workforce.

I have to question this and I feel that the MAP acronym should more appropriately mean missing aboriginals program.

Hear! Hear!

---Applause

As the 2004 affirmative action report gives us stats for the first round of the MAP program, of the 101 applicants, 26 were accepted into the program. Of these, seven were female, three were aboriginal and six were indigenous non-aboriginal. The remaining 10 that were not mentioned must fall completely outside of the affirmative action policy and it appears that there are no other indigenous aboriginal persons qualified for this program.

Mr. Speaker, given this information and the fact that we have some departments that have no indigenous aboriginal senior mangers like Aboriginal Affairs and Transportation, and the public statement from officials that the affirmative action policy is on its way out, and the failure of the people responsible to form the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee as required, and the recent comments from the Minister that affirmative action is still going to be there but we are just going to call it something else, tells me, Mr. Speaker, that the affirmative action policy is all but dead already and that we are just being asked to sit back and watch that happen.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Your time for your Member's statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude you statement, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Well, Mr. Speaker, I cannot sit down and allow this to happen and I will be asking the Minister responsible for the FMBS more questions at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause