A Yellowknife MLA's attempt to pause the GWNT's Indigenous Employment Policy (IEP) died in the legislative assembly on March 14. 

The new policy is set to replace Affirmative Action as the NWT's primary hiring policy as of April 1. 

Only four regular MLAs supported the motion to halt the policy: Robert Hawkins, who introduced the motion; Kieron Testart; Julian Morse; and Richard Edjericon. Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan abstained. Everyone else opposed.

"If the root cause is not addressed, a new policy has little chance for success," said Morgan. "Not enough attention has been given to the biggest barriers that Indigenous people and other marginalized groups actually face in securing good jobs with the government."

Morgan stressed the need for supporting community learning, new approaches for grade school education and adult education. She also emphasized mental health resources and additional services as key issues that won't be solved by a priority hiring policy.

"I also want to acknowledge that many Indigenous residents may not want to work with the GNWT, regardless fo how much the government wants them," she said.

Despite making up about half of the territory's population, Indigenous GNWT employees only represent about a third of the territorial government's workforce. In an effort to boost those numbers, the new hiring policy follows a two-tiered system: first and second priorities for hires.

First priorities are for people who are recognized members and descendants of First Nations, Metis or Inuit peoples indigenous to the boundaries of the NWT. Second priority individuals include those who are members and descendants of all those same groups, but to areas outside the NWT, yet still within Canada. 

One of the main criticisms of the policy, however, is that it doesn't prioritize hiring people with disabilities, as Affirmative Action did, nor does it prioritize hiring long-time Northerners, as Affirmative Action specified.

Hawkins said that, of the people he's spoken to, no one is upset about Indigenous people getting top priority. Rather, Affirmative Action could have been retained and modified, instead of scrapping it for a new policy. 

He also said the true problem boils down to education.

"Creating a new IEP program isn't solving these problems," he remarked.

According to the NWT Bureau of Statistics, its most recent findings from 2021 indicate a little more than half of the NWT's workforce has less than a high school level of education, with only six per cent of Indigenous residents having a university degree. Meanwhile, more than 36 per cent of non-Indigenous residents have earned a degree.

The new policy also gets rid of what's currently known as a P2, which stands for long-term non-Indigenous Northerners, who rank behind Indigenous Northerners SA国际影视传媒� known as P1 SA国际影视传媒� in terms of priority for GNWT jobs.

Great Slave MLA Kate Reid said she thinks there is value of having long-term Northerners in the public service, but added she does not feel that they are underrepresented as an equity group.

"To say that they are is disingenuous," she contended.

Reid said she cannot say whether an Indigenous employment policy is right for Indigenous people, being that she is not Indigenous.

"What I am hearing is they want to see this go ahead, so at this time I will not support this motion [to pause]," she said.

MLAs that supported Hawkins' motion argued that the new policy had been rushed. Morse, for instance, said he does not understand why a 30-year-old policy had to be changed now and why Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek could not work closer with regular MLAs to build a consensus around it.

Wawzonek said the NWT is out of step with the rest of the country, as Affirmative Action policies aren't being maintained anywhere else. Wawzonek also said the new policy focuses on Indigenous people who have been historically and systemically mistreated in the NWT and Canada.

SA国际影视传媒淎 policy whose purpose is to improve equity must focus on areas where there is inequity," the minister said. "To be effective, we need to ask ourselves who is not being treated with equity if weSA国际影视传媒檙e going to make a difference.SA国际影视传媒�

Hawkins then made an accusation of party politics being practised in the assembly.

"Maybe party politics is happening under the skin or under the guise, I don't know," he said.

Premier R.J. Simpson took umbrage and called a point of order, stating he would never support party politics in the legislature. 

Speaker Shane Thompson pleaded that all MLAs respect each other. He said he will come with a ruling on Hawkins' comment at a later time.