Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to providing a safe and inclusive workplace for all its employees. This includes educating our public servants on how racism can manifest itself in the workplace.

Racism is a belief in a hierarchy of human value. It is a belief, conscious or unconscious, that some people are worth more than others. Racism is easy to see when it takes the form of specific acts of hate and violence but systemic racism hides in plain sight: it is the kind of racism where the power of one racial group is exhibited and upheld over others in institutions including schools, law enforcement, health care and a workplace.

By contrast, anti-racism is about acknowledging the inherent privilege held by certain racial groups over others. Anti-racism is about speaking up when you see racism in action and educating those around you about the benefits of diversity within our communities and workplaces. It is about yielding positions of power to those who are otherwise marginalized, advocating for policies that break down systems of oppression and promoting not only equality but equity.

In addition to the work underway to implement mandatory cultural awareness training, the Department of Finance will launch an anti-racism campaign.

The Department of Finance will launch this anti-racism campaign to run between March 16 and April 21 that will encourage all GNWT employees to challenge their beliefs and attitudes around racism. The goal of this campaign is to encourage employees to learn about anti-racism so they can take steps to stand against systemic racism and stand up for marginalized persons within our communities. We recognize that in order to eliminate systemic racism in the NWT, we must build a culture of anti-racism within the public service.

Mr. Speaker, the first component of this campaign is training. The Equitable Workplace: Cultivating Attitudes of Anti-Racism and Allyship aims to help participants identify strategies to confront racism and become agents of change. Participants will learn to identify how biases, racism, power, and privilege are the root of myths and misconceptions that have become part of mainstream culture.

The campaign will also include printed and video resources that encourage public servants to explore anti-racism and to take action against all forms of racism when they see it.

Mr. Speaker, as a government we have a duty to provide a safe and inclusive workplace for all employees, and this campaign is one small step in our mission to foster an anti-racist culture in all GNWT workplaces. Employees can register for the The Equitable Workplace: Cultivating Attitudes of Anti-Racism and Allyship training on the Learning and Development Calendar located on the My HR website. I encourage all GNWT employees to complete this training and become agents of change within our public service and our communities. In particular, I encourage managers to work to ensure that their staff have the time available to take the training and model commitment to this important matter by taking it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.