Now is not the time to replace N.W.T.'s affirmative action hiring policy, say some MLAs

The N.W.T. government's new Indigenous Employment Policy is a step in the wrong direction, according to some MLAs, and they're asking the government to rescind the policy before it comes into effect.

On Tuesday, N.W.T. finance minister Caroline Wawzonek announced the new policy that aims to see more Indigenous employees in the territorial government workforce. It will be introduced in April and replace the territory's Affirmative Action Policy which has been in place since 1989.

One major change in the new policy is that priority will be given to all Indigenous Canadians, regardless of whether they are from the N.W.T. or not. The new policy will also no longer prioritize other groups such as women, people with disabilities, and non-Indigenous people from the N.W.T. 

Wawzonek says this is a step toward furthering Indigenous employment in the government. She hopes the change will better reflect wider cultural ties that exist.

Some MLAs are questioning the new policy, however.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong, MLA for Monfwi, is on the standing committee on government operations. She says the committee wanted further discussion before the new policy went forward.

"We told her [Wawzonek] to put a pause on it, wait until we get some more information," Weyallon Armstrong said. 

She also said she's heard from at least one community leader who wasn't aware that the new policy would apply equally to all Indigenous Canadians, with no priority given to Indigenous people from the territory. 

"He was not aware of that, that's not how it was explained to them. That's the feeling that I got," said Weyallon Armstrong. 

Weyallon Armstrong said she's been in contact with Indigenous leaders, government workers and other MLAs this week and she's heard a lot of uneasiness and disappointment in the new policy. 

A news release from the territory this week says the development of the new policy included "extensive public engagement, consultation with Indigenous governments, organizations, and stakeholders, as well as feedback from [government of N.W.T.] employees and leadership."

Weyallon Armstrong thinks there could have been work done with the old policy instead of getting rid of it completely.

"It could be fixed. We can do something about it, but scrapping it now is not the time," she said.

"We need to clean up in our own backyard," she said, explaining that more resources for all levels of education in communities should have been looked into before a new policy. She added that there needs to be better support and funding for northerners to go down south to receive education, since that also still plays a role in hiring processes.

Other MLAs have also spoken out against the new policy, including Robert Hawkins and Kieron Testart who have both posted public statements outlining their concerns. Both say it will make it harder for northerners to obtain government jobs, and at a time of financial strain for many N.W.T. residents.

On Thursday, seven MLAs — including Hawkins, Testart and Weyallon Armstrong — signed a letter addressed to Premier R.J. Simpson, calling for the new policy to be rescinded. It cites concerns about insufficient input from the public and Indigenous government and also says it will not address the high unemployment rate of Indigenous N.W.T. residents.

"We have had numerous conversations with leadership and constituents since [Tuesday]'s announcement, all expressing shock and concern over the elimination of priority status," the letter reads.

It states that concerns around the new policy have been "well-known to the minister responsible for the public service, since the spring of this year."

Former N.W.T. resident supports new policy

Marvin Simpson is a former N.W.T. resident who now lives on Vancouver Island and he supports the new policy, reflecting on his own experience with the existing Affirmative Action Policy.

Simpson is from the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta and grew up close to the N.W.T. border. He went to high school in Fort Smith, N.W.T. 

But when he started applying for N.W.T. government jobs in 1994, he did not meet the qualifications for the Indigenous hiring priority group since he wasn't born in the territory.

"The interviewer said you just have to live your seven or eight more years here, and then you'll be P1," said Simpson, referring to the Priority 1 group — Indigenous Aboriginal people — under the existing policy.

Simpson said after the interview process he went to do independent work in the electrical field but the power corporation ended up calling him at a later date to offer him work.

Simpson said he still thinks N.W.T. Indigenous people should be prioritized in the hiring process, but gave the health system as one example that could immediately benefit from having more Indigenous employees, whether or not they're from the N.W.T.

He said the new policy might mean more southerners are hired in the N.W.T., but he doesn't think it'll be that common or a huge amount.

"There's not gonna be a big influx of people, I'm sure, rushing over to the Northwest Territories. We can go to work," said Simpson.