Mr. Speaker, I’d like today to urge this government to hire more people who are persons with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities have priority status under our Affirmative Action Program and Policy. With that in mind, Mr.

Speaker, I’d like some

explanations for the low numbers for persons with disabilities in our public service. It’s hard to believe that of the 4,725 employees within the GNWT we only have 19 people, or 0.4 per cent, who are persons with disabilities.

For me, this raises two issues. For one, the Affirmative Action Policy does not work; and secondly, this government is not committed to integrating this group into our workforce.

The GNWT needs to starts hiring more persons with disabilities. They need to make true accommodations to integrate them into our casual pool. It is time for this government to realize that fostering diversity is a strength in our organization, not a weakness. To help this disadvantaged group get a little help and get forward in this life, we have community-based organizations like the EmployABILITY program of the Yellowknife Association for Community Living that has the expertise in this field. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to get out there and work with the Department of Human Resources to make sure some initiatives get off the ground.

Supporting persons with disabilities as they work towards achieving their skills, development and employment goals must become a priority of this government. Priorities also mean strategic investment, Mr. Speaker. This government needs to set up a pool of money and set aside something in the range of $50,000 that could achieve these goals. That’s not asking for an incredible sum; it’s something that could go a long way. This government needs to recognize that individuals such as I’ve talked about can make valuable contributions in our public service.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to say that whenever someone’s hired, you see that they bring a new hope and a new light to their life — you can see the excitement in their eyes — and the chance of moving forward with some dreams. Let’s make sure that we bring some dreams and hope back to this group. Let’s hope that we bring some quality of life back to this group, such as persons with disabilities. I think we could go a long way by recognizing the opportunities, not the walls.