Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For many years, the GNWT has hired its workforce using a three-stage policy, based on race, residency, gender and ability. In a report filed in November of 1998, called the GNWT Report on the Affirmative Action Policy, the government of the day committed to examining at least one aspect of this, which was the residency condition under this policy. To date, Mr. Speaker, we are looking at about six years now. I am not aware of any changes to the definition of a long-term northerner under the affirmative action policy.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Constitution does allow for affirmative action programs, provided they meet certain criteria. I assume that when the affirmative action policy was first introduced, this government confirmed that its policy did meet that criterion. But, over time, things change. The question now, I believe, is whether our affirmative action policy still meets the criteria and whether the government examines such policies on a regular basis.
Mr. Speaker, for a person to be classified as a P2 candidate under this residency criteria of the affirmative action policy, it is necessary that they spend over half of their lives in the Northwest Territories. Now, constituents have brought it to my attention that this provision of our affirmative action policy is, in effect, age discrimination. They point out, for example, that a person who moved here when they were 10 years old would be eligible for P2 affirmative action hiring status in our government when they were 20 years old, just in time to get a good education and enter our workforce. But their parents who may have moved here when they were 30 years of age would not be eligible for that same status until they were 60 years old, just in time to retire.
Mr. Speaker, this part of our policy is unfair to all of the people who made a commitment to the Northwest Territories. I can see merit in maintaining such a classification to recognize a commitment to people who have made a long-term investment here in the Northwest Territories. Our workforce should be representative of the people it serves. But, in my mind, half a lifetime is far too long for determining that a person is a long-term northerner eligible for hiring by this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause