The Yukon government will be extending its Indigenous hiring preference policy until 2029.

In a news release issued Monday, the government stated it will continue its efforts to increase representation of Indigenous employees in the public service.

“The goal of this initiative is to increase the number of Indigenous employees in the Yukon’s public service,” the release said.

“The first 15 months of the pilot resulted in 78 successful Indigenous candidates across a total of 632 competitions.

This includes new employees and existing employees moving to a new position within the Yukon government.”

The pilot began on Oct. 1, 2020. It was part of Breaking Trail Together, a 10-year strategic plan to create a Yukon public service that is inclusive and representative of First Nations people.

“Overall, this initiative has demonstrated the value of having a hiring preference for Indigenous candidates but it has not increased Indigenous representation in the Yukon government to the extent that was hoped for,” the statement said

“By extending the program, the Government of Yukon hopes to meet the program goal of increasing Indigenous representation in the public service to 22 per cent.”

John Streicker, the minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, said “it is important that the Yukon government reflect the diversity of our territory and the people and communities they serve.

“The Indigenous hiring preference initiative is contributing to our goal to increase Indigenous representation in the public service and strengthen our Yukon government services and workforce.”

Preliminary findings for the project are that:

• Indigenous representation did not change significantly during the 18-month period;

• even with the introduction of the project, overall, the Yukon government experienced a slight decrease in Indigenous employees;

• there was no negative impact on broader recruitment, as there was no decrease in applicants; and

• Indigenous representation in the government was 15 per cent on Oct. 1, 2020 and remains the same as of March 31, 2021.

The Official opposition Yukon Party noted that increasing Yukon First Nations representation in the public service is one of the commitments under the land claim’s Umbrella Final Agreement, “and the Yukon Party supports efforts to do so. The Yukon Party also supports a representative public service.

“It is concerning that the government’s own announcement highlights that this program has not been successful in increasing Yukon First Nations representation in the public service.

“Any program should be audited for effectiveness, and it appears this program may not be achieving its objectives,” the official Opposition said.

The Yukon Chamber of Commerce, commenting through executive director Denny Kobayahsi, said Tuesday it “supports the extension of the Indigenous preferred hiring policy and other initiatives like the Yukon First Nations Procurement Policy that serve to increase the representation of Yukon Indigenous workers and businesses in the Yukon economy.

“Many Yukon private sector businesses proactively recruit and retain Indigenous workers that supports a more diverse and capable local workforce,” Kobayahsi added.

“In addition to initiatives like the preferred hiring policy, the government’s investment in workforce development is critically important to ensure that the Yukon maximizes opportunities to hire, train and support Yukoners.”

NDP Leader Kate White said Tuesday she believes the preference is “very important. It’s important the public service be reflective of the community.”

White said she was told during a briefing on the policy that the COVID-19 pandemic might have impacted the hiring process, with fewer Indigenous applicants trying for jobs.

She said she noticed during the briefing the policy doesn’t seem to be effective.

While she remains supportive, White said, she hopes the policy will be reviewed to see why that was the case if it continues.