Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, I am pleased to present the report of the Working Group on Affirmative Action and Human Resource Management. During the spring and summer of 1995, the GNWT undertook a public review of the Affirmative Action Policy. This review included extensive consultation with GNWT staff and members of the public. The standing committee waited for a government report on this review. Last summer we saw an initial draft report. It has some good general ideas but was lacking in specific recommendations. The government rewrote the draft but it still did not provide the concrete suggestions for action that we were expecting.

In an attempt to assist Cabinet on this issue, the standing committee created a working group. This group was given two months to develop some very specific recommendations to improve the Affirmative Action Policy and GNWT human resource management. In making recommendations, the working group drew heavily from the results of the 1995 Affirmative Action Policy public review. They also reviewed the practices of other jurisdictions and various GNWT human resource statistics and practices.

The Cabinet has not yet been able to provide an initial response to the report, however, we expect that there should be general acceptance. Most of the recommendations can be traced back to the public consultations and the government's own draft report. This report takes the government's initial broad suggestions and provides specific recommendations to put those ideas into action. This report focuses on achieving a GNWT workforce which is representative of the peoples it serves at all levels and in all regions. There are a number of recommendations which will address the issue of representation, both at the hiring stage and throughout an employee's career with the government.

As well, the working group looked beyond the hiring process to support and development of GNWT staff. It is not enough to hire northerners, we also have to provide an environment where they can find personal satisfaction and professional development. In tough financial times putting northerners to work means good value for money. Many individuals have a perception that the Affirmative Action Policy is really a native employment policy. We want to stress that when we say affirmative action, we mean support for all of the priority groups identified under the Affirmative Action Policy.

The report makes recommendations in four key areas:

- The Affirmative Action Policy

- The Hiring Process

- Human Resource Management

- Addressing the Future

Many of the recommendations are linked. While they may have a small impact individually, they will work best when implemented together. Most of the recommendations can be implemented fairly quickly. In developing the recommendations, the working group was also very aware of the current financial situation. Almost all of the recommendations in the report can be accomplished with little or no additional spending. I would like to thank the other members of the working group for their efforts: Mr. Picco, Mr. Henry and Mr. Miltenberger were dedicated in trying to meet the deadline set for the group. Although they brought very different opinions to the table, they managed to find consensus on almost every recommendation.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, that concludes the introductory comments of the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the Report of the Working Group on Affirmative Action and Human Resource Management. Mr. Speaker, I would seek unanimous consent of the House to have Committee Report 7-13(4) deemed read and printed in the Hansard.