NationTalk: Ottawa Sun – Academics say the larger concentration of Indigenous employees in just a few federal organizations limits them to roles typically linked with Indigenous-specific issues.

A lack of Indigenous representation across federal government organizations and pay levels is “deeply concerning” and “problematic” according to an academic focused on politics and Indigenous resurgence.

The government’s latest employment equity report shows Indigenous people make up 5.3 per cent of the core public service (compared to 5 per cent of the total population in Canada, according to the 2021 Census). While the government trumpets that this percentage has increased, though only by 0.1 per cent since last year, a deeper look at data within the report reveals many of those employees are concentrated in just a few departments and agencies.

The organizations with the highest representation were Indigenous Services Canada (28.5 per cent), Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (16.9) and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (25 per cent).

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https://ottawasun.com/news/lack-of-indigenous-representation-in-public-service-is-deeply-concerning-says-academic