Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad to see the government has established an affirmative action policy review task force group. This policy is obviously in desperate need of revision. I remember high and lofty promises that affirmative action would lead to a government workforce that was 52 per cent aboriginal by the year 1990.
Well, here it is five years later and we are still nowhere near that goal, and, in the meantime, we have lost many who could, and who want to, contribute to the north.
The goal of having a public service whose make-up reflects that of the entire population of the north is a valuable one, but this policy has not brought us much closer to that goal. In fact, I dare say that the negative effects of this policy have outweighed as benefits.
As this Assembly draws to the close of its mandate, I regret that we will not be able to change things for the better right now, but it is my sincere hope that the task group reviewing this policy will have developed effective and useful recommendations for the next Assembly. I don't know whether this policy should be improved or can be improved, replaced or even scrapped in favour of an increased focus on education. I do know that it is not working now and it needs to change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.