Mr. Speaker, the government is desperately clinging to minority hiring targets for public service employees. This policy does not work and is degrading to all visible minority groups in Canada.
The Canadian Alliance policy is to work toward the elimination of discriminatory hiring and promotion policies for federally regulated employees. Every public service job should go to the most qualified applicant. As an MP, I am proud to have been elected based on merit, not as part of some quota for visible minority MPs. Constituents voted for me because they felt that I was the best candidate for the job.
Instead of reverse discriminatory practices, the government needs to look at why qualified Canadians from all groups are not applying to join the public sector. The reasons are clear. The private sector has more to offer. We need to find new ways to communicate available positions and to recruit applicants from across the country. We also need to rebuild respect for the public service through responsible management, something this government does not understand.
I strongly urge the government to end this negative program of discriminatory hiring practices in the federal public service.