Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it has now been nine years since the Government of the Northwest Territories first put into place the native employment policy. The native employment policy was replaced in 1989 with a new policy, the affirmative action policy.
Madam Speaker, in 1989, the Special Committee on Northern Economy published a report entitled "The Government of the Northwest Territories Native Employment Policy: A Review and Assessment." One of the principle recommendations of this report was that the Government of the Northwest Territories conduct an evaluation of a native employment policy. Madam Speaker, this evaluation never took place.
The government, without evaluating the program, went ahead in 1989 and extended the principles of the old policy by including women, disabled persons and indigenous non-aboriginal people and renamed it the affirmative action policy.
Madam Speaker, over the past nine years, the territorial government has spent millions of dollars on affirmative action initiatives, with the primary goal of making the territorial public service competent and representative of the population it serves. In the context of the northern aboriginal population, this would mean a territorial public service made up of over 50 per cent aboriginal people.
Madam Speaker, after nine years of operation and millions of dollars of expenditure, the proportion of aboriginal people in the territorial public service is only about 35 per cent, a percentage increase of approximately five per cent over almost a decade. In terms of aboriginal people in management positions, the proportion is only about 12 per cent.
Madam Speaker, a full scale evaluation of the affirmative action program is long overdue. This evaluation should be carried out by a reputable, independent, third-party consulting firm. Mahsi.
---Applause