Aboriginal people and employers are directly affected by the policies. When more Aboriginal people enter the workforce, they will gain a sense of pride and become more self-sufficient. As well, they will consider themselves to be an equal and contributing member of the community. The employers will benefit in that they will have a larger and more diversified selection of candidates to choose from. The Aboriginal community will increase the amount of positive role models who will give the youth more connections to the business community and may inspire them to pursue their goals. All of the citizens of Saskatchewan will be impacted by these policies because increased Aboriginal participation in the workforce broadens the tax base, strengthens the economy and reduces social costs.
The provincial budgetary history for this policy is quite short as many of the programs are relatively new and most have been created by the Federal government. An example of a program currently in place is the Aboriginal Employment Development Program (AEDP), which was developed in 1992. Approximately thirty-eight employers in Saskatchewan have signed partnership agreements aimed at breaking down barriers and communicating employment needs so that Aboriginal people can more easily enter the workforce. The provincial government provides a grant to this program of $400,000 annually and $300,000 for staffing and administration. Many funds have also been established in the last ten years to provide loans and grants to Aboriginal entrepreneurs. The Federal government created the Employment Equity Act in 1995 and remains responsible for funding it.
We propose two methods of reaching the goal of increasing the participation of Aboriginals in the workforce.
Policy No. 1.
The first policy involves encouraging representational workforces in the private sector through tax-break incentives. Private businesses would receive a tax-break at the end of the five-years by doing the same.
