Frieda Martselos

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In December, Health Canada authorized the use of two separate COVID-19 vaccines for human consumption. Both vaccines were developed by private companies, named Pfizer and Moderna. Following Health Canada's approval, the Government of the Northwest Territories received its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine on December 28th, and by December 31st, NWT residents began receiving their first of two doses.

Mr. Speaker, as of yesterday, there have been over 12,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine administered across the Northwest Territories. I am happy to share with...

Madam Speaker, making changes for the betterment of people and lands in which we serve is what we were put in this House to do. As elected leaders, we have a duty and responsibility to enact the changes that we committed to which helped propel us into this House. We each have a mandate entrusted upon us by our constituents with the expectation that we work together and make positive changes. Madam Speaker, change is never realized or accomplished easily. Change is always, always met with resistance. There will always be those who prefer or even enjoy the status quo because that is what they...

Lastly, Madam Speaker, I would like to wish all of my colleagues well as we conclude our final day of session today. I hope you all enjoy some time off until we return for our committee work in a couple of weeks. I hope we may all return with fresh ideas and change on the horizon. I'd also like to thank my amazing constituents of Thebacha for their continued support of me and for the work we do here at the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Minister has an ability to make a difference on this whole file. Leadership must be shown at the top in order to advance the Government of the Northwest Territories' affirmative action to its fullness. Does the Minister agree?

Madam Speaker, the Minister must be very firm with all of the senior management within the government to ensure that the Affirmative Action Policy is followed. Mechanisms must be put in place to address the gaps, and if not followed, there has to be a process of meaningful appeals with a neutral panel and very concise direction. Does the Minister agree? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleagues, to speak about the Affirmative Action Policy in the Northwest Territories. My focus in this Member's statement is to talk about the many gaps that exist within the policy. The Government of the Northwest Territories created the Affirmative Action Policy to hire under-represented groups of people in the public service. To ensure that the government is representative of the population it serves, the designated groups are Indigenous Aboriginal Persons (P1); Indigenous Non-Aboriginal Persons (P2); Resident Disabled Persons (P3); and Resident...

Madam Speaker, the claim was signed in 2002 on June the 22nd. That is 18 years. That is a long time without enforcement on reserve lands. I think it's time that this Minister and the Premier and the executive realize Salt River's goals to ensure that we get enforcement on reserve lands. Wouldn't he agree? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It is extremely important that the Government of the Northwest Territories makes policy with the federal government to ensure that enforcement on reserve lands is a priority. The people who belong to the Northwest Territories, just because we have an affirmed land claim, does that mean we are different, even though we are residents of the Northwest Territories? I would like to ask the Minister: is there a timeline to ensure that there is enforcement on reserve lands?

Madam Speaker, there can be no more gaps, no excuses, no nepotism, no conflicts of interest, no hiring our friends, no tailoring job descriptions to match certain people's resumes, only strictly professional, neutral decisions based on qualifications. Will the Minister commit to changing the way senior management and human resource superintendents apply the Affirmative Action Policy to accomplish its original intent? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Minister must also be able to discipline those senior managers who are not following the policy. This should be done through job evaluations or disciplinary letters on their work files. Strong, decisive action must be taken to address this issue. Does the Minister agree?