Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my colleague from Yellowknife North's position. I share a lot of her sentiments when it comes to the underlying causes of why we don't see more Indigenous representation in our public service.

Mr. Speaker, if we keep what we have -- if we keep what we have always had, then we will keep getting what we've always got. I'm going to say a little bit of what I said at the briefing earlier this week because I had to rush through my comments due to time constraints; I don't have that here.

My colleague from Monfwi is relentless, with good reason, when she speaks about education for youth. Improving our educational outcomes are how you change the workforce in the long term. It's crucial we don't forget this. Systemic changes to education access and outcomes can easily become generational and doesn't allow the GNWT to aim for better Indigenous representation right now. It's my -- if my Indigenous colleagues on the whole are comfortable with this amended IEP moving forward, I support them.

What I do want to state unequivocally is that diversity, equity, and inclusion is fundamentally about prioritizing equity for underrepresented groups within the employer, especially underrepresented groups that have historical barriers to employment. That is what affirmative action tried to accomplish but failed and what now IEP seeks to address.

I think there is value of having long-term Northerners in the public service, but I do not feel that they are underrepresented as an equity group. To say that they are is disingenuous.

At the public briefing with the Minister this week, I highlighted my main concern, which is what I hear from my constituents, around the lack of an employment equity policy going ahead at this time. When affirmative action ceases to exist on April 1, so goes preferential hiring for folks with disabilities, for example. This work was originally in scope for the reworking of an affirmative action policy but was halted due to public feedback. I fully accept that many people are not comfortable around self-identifying various characteristics about themselves in the hiring process. Sometimes this is extremely personal information that they don't wish to share, and it seems invasive. I'm still confident that the work can be done to ensure hiring equity for historically underrepresented folks is appropriate and inclusive. I have heard from the Minister and her staff that they continue to prioritize this work and, most importantly, will work with stakeholders on this work. At this time, I'm satisfied that the GNWT is hearing that historical inequities need to be addressed. And if it means taking apart the functions of the original affirmative action policy and dealing with them one at a time, I am all right with this.

Back in January, I had a conversation after the letters from some Members to this -- to the Premier came out. And my friends told me this, and I want to share it with the House today: All equity work is frustrating. It triggers our most primal survival responses. When we are triggered, we are taught our options are flight, fight, freeze, and fawn. But we have another option, Mr. Speaker. Surrender. That seems to be a reoccurring lesson for me for the last few months. Surrendering is accepting what is and to give space to other people's stories, other people's truths. It is to know that my truth is not the objective truth. It's giving space for other people's stories to model for them how we give space for our own. The irony of race equity work is a constantly fighting not to become the very thing we're resisting. So I cannot speak to whether or not an Indigenous employment policy is right for Indigenous people. Only Indigenous people can do that, Mr. Speaker. And what I am hearing is they want to see this go ahead. So at this time, I will not support this motion.