Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, statistics going back to 1985, when the native employment policy was first used, confirms that the affirmative action policy has done little to move the needle beyond the 30 percent Indigenous participation in the public sector.

Mr. Speaker, the current definition of Indigenous person in the current affirmative action policy, in part, includes Aboriginal persons resident at birth pursuant to section 23 of the Vital Statistics Act, and any Canadian Aboriginal persons who have lived more than half their life in the Northwest Territories. Now this group is being considered for removal from the definition.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Finance confirm that this is being done intentionally or was it an oversight, as it impacts a high number of Indigenous people in Hay River and is the Minister willing to continue using the current definition of Indigenous Aboriginal persons in any future policy revision? Thank you.