Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has had an Affirmative Action Policy since 1989. The goal of the policy is that public service is representative of the people it serves. The population of the Northwest Territories is 51 percent Aboriginal and 39 percent of the workforce is Aboriginal. In 2011, the latest year available, indigenous Aboriginal employees made up only 32 percent of the public service. That is the same figure as the year before and pretty close to where it has been for the last 10 years.

The policy is not working, Mr. Speaker. Meanwhile, my constituents, mostly indigenous Aboriginal people, are having a tough time getting government jobs. When they apply on competitions, a lot of them don’t make it to the interview stage; they get screened out. The excuse is that the person hasn’t shown on paper that they have relevant education and experience. Even when they do get interviews, some positions are not appealable and often, as such, a potential employee is not allowed to see their test results or get a copy of them. They feel that this is unfair and that when they fail these screening tests, they cannot even challenge them. Many positions call for much more formal education and experience than a person really needs to do the job well.

The 2009 Statistics Canada indicates that 30 percent of adult Aboriginals with high school and no diplomas are unemployed. If an Aboriginal person does get an interview, sometimes they lose out for cultural reasons and values. Many Aboriginal people believe it is childish to blow your own horn and talk about yourself, but that is exactly what you are supposed to do in the job interview. Also, when they feel that they are the best person and they don’t get the job, they don’t like to appeal and cause trouble.

Our system does not value traditional knowledge, values and northern experiences nearly enough in the selection process. Devolution is almost upon us. We are told there will be many new jobs, but how many will be filled by Aboriginal people?

I think we need a system to review how and why Aboriginal residents are not being attracted, screened in and hired. The government must find better ways to fill its shop now and in the future, for Aboriginal Northerners over the long term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.