Is the Minister responsible for human resources confident that the Affirmative Action Policy is being accountable and transparent to the people of the NWT and the bureaucratic processes in place dictating it?

Does the Minister feel confident that the Affirmative Action Policy is objective and serving the people of the NWT in an honest and sincere manner?

Madam Speaker, as the Minister responsible for human resources, is she confident that the Affirmative Action Policy is solid and that her direction as Minister is being followed?

Madam Speaker, I want to revisit the issue of the Government of the Northwest Territories Affirmative Action Policy once again, because, as I see it, this policy is not serving the people of Fort Smith or the people of the NWT. The e-mail that I received from the finance Minister on February 27, 2020, is a typical government explanation, and I do not accept a response like that from a Minister. When an MLA asks for a response in confidence, I expect a more personal and detailed response.

Madam Speaker, I strongly feel that the Affirmative Action Policy across the NWT, including the riding of Thebacha, is not transparent or accountable. I have attended many meetings across the territory over my 10-plus years of leadership, with multiple levels of government, and the issue of affirmative action has always come up numerous times in a negative way.

Madam Speaker, many people have approached me about how this process is not benefitting Northerners, especially those P1s and P2s within the policy. If the Minister truly feels she wants to make a difference as a Minister of human resources, she has an opportunity to change the direction of the Government of the Northwest Territories Affirmative Action Policy as intended.

Madam Speaker, we need to develop guidelines and criteria that the human resources department must follow, without interference from favouritism, and must be based on qualifications, must be indigenous to the North, and northern-born residents must be considered. It is not to be based on friendship, personal preferences, and not who you know, and not what you know.

Madam Speaker, change must take place with the Affirmative Action Policy immediately. No more direct appointments that end up excluding all candidates that would like to apply for any position. It is crucial that the hiring policies of the Government of the Northwest Territories must be objective, fair, and the best possible candidate must be hired. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Chair, I also want to ask the Minister why we are following BC standards and not using Canadian standards in justice?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to just make a comment first before I ask the question, and that is that I'm very proud to say that most of the people at the two facilities in Fort Smith are extremely qualified and do an excellent job. I've been to both facilities at various times with clients, especially when I was with my other leadership role in Salt River. I support both facilities and the staff. There are some gaps in the system, and a lot of the people in there are long-term residents, members of Salt River, members of the Metis community that are staffing these units. They run a really incredible atmosphere at both facilities. I want to commend them for that. There's some of the staff members that have sometimes get into, maybe a problem of some kind, whether it be, could be a DUI or something, and it hasn't gone to court yet. Then they're disciplined in a certain manner, and they get fired without just cause. Then there have been times when the offence didn't even go to court, and they've been fired. They've gone to the union, and the union takes too long to get to the case, and the family has been ruined.

I want to know if you, as the Minister, would put a more objective group in place for these kind of cases and it not be a form of dictatorship and a trial and everything else in your department by one or two people that are doing this and letting this happen when a whole family is ruined because of this. It's happened a couple times. I've had a couple of people at Salt River when I was there that that had happened to, and since then I've had about 10 people come to me and explain this whole situation to me of what's been happening with dictatorship, injustice for people. They have rights. Everybody in Canada has a right. You're with the Department of Justice. I want to know how you're going to deal with that.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just one short question, and it has to do with Aboriginal policing, also, because there is a problem with enforcement on reserve. There has always been a problem. You talked about training and First Nations policing and getting access to the federal program. I think that's a good way of going, and I encourage you to do that. I think that it's very important that Salt River First Nations Reserve has proper enforcement by its own people. I'm just making a comment, and I think it's extremely important. Thank you.

I just want to remind the Minister that there are a lot of qualified people in other communities, also, besides Yellowknife, and just doing something a little bit differently to ensure that we get the same service as the people of Yellowknife is essential. I think we are not asking for very much. It's a right. We live in the same area. We have this mandate, and I honestly feel that I want you to know that you agree with me, that there are qualified people all over the territories, not only Fort Smith, Inuvik, Yellowknife. The smaller communities have qualified people. Correct?

I want to get back to this whole integrated case management program. It's a void in the communities, and I'm just wondering if the Minister would consider ensuring that the region of Fort Smith and Inuvik will get a position also, because it is void in the community for this program that is required in the community and for the region.