Saskatchewan’s new NDP leader says declining Aboriginal job numbers in the province are a major concern but don’t expect him to be calling for changes to the immigrant nominee program anytime soon.
In a recently released report on First Nations education and employment, University of Saskatchewan professor Eric Howe says a provincial immigration program that has brought an increase in unskilled labour to Saskatchewan in recent years has played a role in declining Indigenous employment numbers.
However, Cam Broten says the party has no interest in altering the immigration program as Howe suggests.
Nevertheless, Broten says the NDP will continue to call for the reinstatement of the Aboriginal Employment Development Program, which is something Howe also calls for.