Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

6. Retention and Succession Planning

Committee heard that workforce development and succession planning needed to be more inclusive of Indigenous employees within the GNWT. The GNWT's Indigenous Employment Plans aim to "improve retention of Indigenous employees through professional development and career progression." Under the current model, the Department of Finance will create a succession planning guide for Indigenous employees, and each department will work with HR to develop an individual succession plan.

However, public comments addressed a need to share information about transfer assignments and promotions to ensure Indigenous employees and Indigenous applicants receive priority hiring in replacing outgoing employees. Also, committee received recommendations and comments that uniform succession planning must include position tracking and a clear structure for promotion with managerial experience opportunities for Indigenous employees.

Recommendation 7: Committee recommends that the GNWT commit to transparent retention practices by requiring all departments to:

• Develop and follow succession planning guidelines.
• Maintain and share internal position tracking.
• Track and share information about transfer assignments and/or promotions.
• Ensure that departmental succession planning is informed by employees' goals and expectations by connecting with development goals expressed by employees in the annual performance appraisals.
• Ensure that all Indigenous employees in senior management positions are well supported by their supervisors and are given training opportunities that are suited to the employees' interests and career goals.
• Create a mechanism to ensure Indigenous employees and applicants receive preferred and priority hiring when replacing outgoing employees leaving the public service.

7. Measuring Employer Performance and Improving Retention

Committee is concerned that the GNWT currently does not include exit interviews as an important source of information to inform Indigenous employee retention, succession, and workforce planning. For employees, an exit interview is an opportunity to offer suggestions and feedback in areas the employer needs to improve. For the employer, exit interviews help the organization learn why employees chose to leave and gain insight into the employees' experience during the time of employment.

Committee considered that exit interviews are good corporate practice. The structure and timing of exit interviews can be well adjusted to situations. The structure of these interviews can be open, for example, to allow the employee to speak about matters of choice. The timing can also be flexible and be of the employee's choice or held six or more months after the employee has left.

For the government to understand where improvements are needed, getting feedback from past employees is a most valuable source of information that should not be ignored. Committee recommends that the GNWT develops an exit interview process with Indigenous employees that is non-threatening and culturally safe.

Further, committee heard from witnesses that an increasing number of Indigenous persons have no desire or aspiration to be employed by the GNWT. Similarly, committee also heard of a growing sentiment among Indigenous employees who are deciding they no longer want to work for the public service. The reasons for this are varied, but overall, witnesses said this is primarily because many Indigenous employees do not feel valued, supported, respected, or even trusted by some of their colleagues and/or supervisors.

Recommendation 8: Committee recommends that the GNWT:

• Requires all departments to conduct exit interviews with all Indigenous employees, including interns and summer students.
• Ensures exit interviews with Indigenous employees leaving a department are conducted by Indigenous staff of the Diversity and Inclusion Unit.
• Requires all Public Service Annual Reports include a section with an analysis of why Priority 1 employees are leaving the public service.

8. Incentives to Attract, Train and Retain Youth and Students

Committee heard loud and clear that -- oh, I am reading somebody else's part, Mr. Speaker. I would like to pass to the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh to complete reading this report. Thank you.