HEALTH CARE CAREERS FOR FIRST NATIONS & METIS PEOPLE

Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Relations (FNMR) today signed an Aboriginal Employment Development Program (AEDP) partnership agreement with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) and the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan (HSAS).

"I commend SAHO and HSAS for signing this partnership agreement to support a representative workforce strategy in the health field," First Nations and Métis Relations Minister Maynard Sonntag said. "This agreement is another step toward real job and training opportunities for First Nations and Métis people. I am proud to say that as a result of the AEDP more than 1,900 First Nations and Métis people have been hired and more than 8,500 employees have received cultural awareness training."

"Since the inception of SAHO's Representative Workforce Strategy in 1996, there have been 1,587 new Aboriginal hires in Saskatchewan's health care sector, an achievement we are very proud of," SAHO Chair Alex Taylor said. "By continuing to partner with unions and the government, we expect to increase that number, ensuring that Aboriginal people are always represented appropriately in the health care field."

"The Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan is pleased to enter into this partnership with SAHO and the Government of Saskatchewan," HSAS President Chris Driol said. "It is the hope of our 2,700 health care professionals working in the health regions of Saskatchewan that this results in positive initiatives to facilitate the integration of Aboriginal persons into health sector occupations."

The Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan currently has 2,700 members representing 27 different health care professions employed across Saskatchewan.

Through the AEDP, the Government of Saskatchewan strives to build a representative workforce in the province where First Nations and Métis people compete for jobs based on their skills and qualifications, and where they are represented at all occupational levels in proportion to their population numbers.

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For More Information, Contact:

Anna Arneson First Nations and Métis Relations Regina Phone: (306) 787-8008