Madam Speaker, on Monday, I spoke of the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on women. When I asked the Premier what an Indigenous feminist approach to social and economic recovery would look like, she responded that there would not be a one-size-fits-all approach and that each community would be empowered to determine what that looks like. This is good news, but it does not explain what steps the GNWT is taking to make changes regarding the bills it sponsors, the regulations it develops, the programs and services it delivers directly to the residents of the Northwest Territories, and how it hires people into the public service.
This government made a commitment in this House to work on an action plan to support the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report. The calls for justice identify the need for an approach to undo colonialism and re-establish Indigenous nationhood. It calls on government to work differently by challenging colonial influence and making space for marginalized Indigenous perspectives. Specifically, 4.4 calls on all governments to provide supports and resources for educational, training, and employment opportunities for all Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.
Madam Speaker, representation is important. This government decides on programs, services, laws, and regulations that are meant to support, empower, and protect its residents. For this work to be effective and reflective of northern realities, the demographic of this government's workforce needs to include small community, regional, and city voices, and it needs to include representative Indigenous and female voices.
Forty-four years ago, Commissioner Stuart Hodgson published a paper identifying the GNWT's need for an Affirmative Action Policy because the Indigenous representation within the GNWT was only 30 percent. Today, we have an Affirmative Action Policy, and today, only 30 percent of the GNWT workforce is Indigenous. The Department of Finance has designed programs to increase Indigenous representation within the public service. For example, Indigenous Career Gateway, regional recruitment, and Indigenous management training programs are available to all GNWT departments, but what direction is given to departments to use these programs, and what role does every department play in increasing Indigenous representation and, in turn, supporting the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls calls for justice?
Increasing Indigenous representation is the shared responsibility of all departments, just as the safety of Indigenous women and girls is shared by every single one of us, regardless of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, or gender identity. Today, I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time. Thank you, Madam Speaker.