JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR FIRST NATIONS AND METIS PEOPLE

Plans are underway to get more First Nations and Métis people employed in the Rosetown health sector. The Department of First Nations and Métis Relations signed an Aboriginal Employment Development Program (AEDP) partnership agreement with the rural health region, its affiliate and unions.

The AEDP partnership agreement was signed with: the Heartland Health Region; St. Joseph's Health Centre; the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO); the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN); and Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan (HSAS).

"I commend Heartland Health Region and St. Joseph's Health Centre for signing today's AEDP partnership agreement with the province," First Nations and Métis Relations Minister Maynard Sonntag said. "We are all striving to achieve the common vision of a representative workforce in Saskatchewan."

Through the AEDP, the Saskatchewan Government strives to build a representative workforce 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 in the province.

"We are taking an important step forward today. This partnership is a move toward ensuring Aboriginal people are represented appropriately in the health care field," SAHO Chair Alex Taylor said. "SAHO first signed an agreement with the government in 1996 to work in partnership with Aboriginal people in building a representative workforce in the health sector."

"In signing this agreement, we are joining with other Saskatchewan health providers to develop proactive strategies to hire Aboriginal people in all classifications at all levels," Heartland Health Region President and CEO Ken Wersch said. "We recognize that to achieve this goal, our first step must be to develop relationships of mutual trust and respect among the participants in the process."

This is the 67th partnership agreement for the Aboriginal Employment Development Program. Partnerships have been signed with large public and private sector employers, organized labour, government departments, Aboriginal organizations, post-secondary institutions and community-based organizations.

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For More Information, Contact:

Sharon Erickson First Nations and Métis Relations Regina Phone: (306) 787-7177