Caroline Wawzonek

Yes. The Indigenous framework that we are developing for the recruitment and retention framework is meant to have targets, department by department. That's really the answer to the question, Madam Speaker. It will have hiring targets. I have not been given any sense that men over women is going to be part of the targeting, but Indigenous affirmative action candidates will be part of those targets.

I will certainly commit to reviewing the succession planning that is under way within the GNWT. As I have indicated at the beginning of the Member's questions, the direction right now is to develop the Indigenous framework, have that go department by department, and create some targets that will then be applicable to each department. Within that, of course, it includes the need for succession planning, the need for those targets to include management, so I will make the commitment that we are going to look at those targets. I want to provide some flexibility that we aren't necessarily doing...

I'm inclined to say "yes," but I want to be cautious. That also requires ensuring that the Indigenous governments are prepared and interested and willing to be receiving, hopefully, all these many, many employees who want to go and participate in this program. What I will say is that I, certainly, want to see that the 10 placements that are available get filled. In and of itself, there's a target there, and I'll certainly commit to keeping that 10 placements as a target.

One of the other commitments of the 19th Legislative Assembly, of course, is to increase employment in regional centres. That is a commitment of the 19th Assembly and of this government and is certainly one that the Department of Finance also plays a role in. There are ongoing efforts to ensure that, when new positions are being created, efforts are made to consider whether they have to, in fact, be centralized in the capital, which sometimes is the case, depending on the nature of the work, depending on the nature of the role to be played. If it is not the case, then it need not be centred...

I'm sorry. Eight, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to maintaining a professional and representative public service. Increasing Indigenous representation within our public service has long been a goal of the Legislative Assembly. The first and most visible tool used by the GNWT to support this goal is the Affirmative Action Policy. This policy and its implementation are often criticized as being ineffective because the percentage of Indigenous Aboriginal employees in the GNWT has remained at around 30 percent for the last several decades. Madam Speaker, the Affirmative...

I think I probably just answered that in my last description, but I may have misheard, I didn't have my earpiece in there. That's exactly the idea is to try to create opportunities for anyone that's applying and anyone that's within the application process and the interview process to be able to speak and communicate in a way other than just the traditional asking of a question and having to provide a correct or specific answer but instead be able to tell stories. Part of the reason there has been a change in the Indigenous cultural awareness training and sensitivity program is so that all...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The total costs so far of the COVID-19 pandemic is $175 million. The COVID secretariat is just one part of that. We have already received more than half of that, over $92.5 million from the federal government. The federal government has been a good partner with this fight. Every province and territory is fighting this fight. The COVID secretariat is just one -- I'd say, it's quite a small part of what we're doing, Madam Speaker.

Whether we call it a secretariat or whether you call it a task force or whether you call it the COVID umbrella, it really doesn't matter. What...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have the numbers for 2020 as of March 31, 2020, in front of me, Affirmative Action statistics. That is, Indigenous Aboriginal females make up just under 21 percent of the workforce. Indigenous Aboriginal males, just shy of nine percent of the workforce. As far as change over time, Madam Speaker, I will look at those numbers and provide them. I do have them here, just not right in front of me right now. I don't think there has been significant change over time from my recollection of the numbers, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As this Legislative Assembly did back with the 2020-2021 Main Estimates, we came together collectively and worked collaboratively on an approach to commit to investing in much needed infrastructure that is one of the priorities for this Legislative Assembly and for NWT residents. There are some commitments that arise, some that approach. They are as follows:

Federal Housing Co-Investment Fund - Northern Carve Out

Communities in the Northwest Territories are in need of new construction of mixed-income, mixed-use affordable housing. To provide eligible organizations the...