Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk again about the Affirmative Action Policy. The GNWT is the largest employer in the NWT. As all employment in the small communities is limited so employment with the GNWT in the small communities is highly valued. It provides stability, it allows people to stay in the -- afford homes and raise their families. But Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the pathway for people to get into the GNWT and work their way up to managerial and leadership positions is not clear as it should you be.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT signed a socio-economic agreement with the mining industry. In those agreements, the GNWT negotiated ambitious employment targets for Northerners, specifically Indigenous hires. Not only is the GNWT holding the diamond mines to account to report on employment targets, the GNWT also requires the diamond minus to report on these employment targets by job category.
The diamond mines have to report on the number of Northerners, Indigenous employment by entry-level jobs, semi-skilled labour, skilled labour, and professional and management.
Mr. Speaker, this is an area that GNWT and DEAs to need to address.
If the GNWT had to report employment targets by category by department, this will help to identify where attention is needed. For example, any entry-level jobs always be filled with Indigenous applicants. If that job is not filled by an Indigenous person, there needs to be internal mechanisms in place to report why. Mr. Speaker, the NWT holds the diamond mines to higher standards of hiring, training and development of Northerners and Indigenous employees. It's time for the GNWT to catch up, be accountable, and transparent. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later today. Mahsi.