Aboriginal Employment Levels in Saskatchewan Drop
[Apr 20, 2011 05:21 PM] For immediate release: April 20, 2011 REGINA—According to new statistics, aboriginal employment in Saskatchewan has been in a tail-spin since 2007; and the province’s largest union is calling on the minister responsible to find real solutions. According to the Sask. Trends Monitor, there are 500 fewer aboriginal people working in Saskatchewan compared to last year and a 3.1 per cent overall drop in aboriginal employment since 2007. The 500 fewer aboriginal people working in Saskatchewan is a particularly dire statistic when you consider that the aboriginal population, overall, is increasing in Saskatchewan. “This government claims to have a good record on First Nations and Métis employment,” said Tom Graham, president of the Saskatchewan Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). “That appears to be nothing more than spin. We need solutions, not sound bites.” Since being appointed to the cabinet in 2007, Rob Norris, Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration, has overseen the cancellation of a functioning and successful Aboriginal Employment Development Program, and the establishment of funding for a “joint task force,” which, according to the government’s budget documents, is a mechanism for consultations on the problem of aboriginal unemployment, not a program to actually close the gap in aboriginal education and employment rates. Minister Norris also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal Conservative government and five Saskatchewan First Nations leaders last month—but no action or planned programming have been announced as a result. “There can be no doubt that the aboriginal population in Saskatchewan is quickly rising, and will continue to do so, exponentially,” said Graham. “It’s unacceptable on the part of Norris and his government to pay the issue of aboriginal education, training and employment only lip service. We don’t want to see press conferences—we want to see aboriginal people qualified and working; we want to see positive retention rates as a result of well-prepared workplaces; and we want to see statistics that show that this province is heading towards a healthy future workforce instead of a calamity of unemployment.” CUPE Saskatchewan is the provincial division of Canada’s largest union. In Saskatchewan, CUPE represents more than 29,000 workers in employment sectors which include health care, municipalities, universities, K-12 education, community-based organizations and more. - 30 - For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:(306) 757-1009 cope342