"Racism Forcing Natives to Leave Civil Service: Study"

OTTAWA (CP)- Racism and lack of advancement are prompting aboriginal people to leave the federal public service at more than double the rate of other government employees, says a new study.

The government is able to attract aboriginals to jobs but faces major problems keeping them, according to the report from the Public Service Commission.

In 1988, for example, 351 aboriginal employees were recruited but during the same period 275 resigned. The resignation rate among natives that year was 8.4 per cent compared to 3.3 per cent for the entire public service.

"It's the most sensitive area of retention in the public service," Suzanne Peters, who worked on the report, said Monday.

The commission is a politically independent agency accountable to Parliament for the administration of the Public Service Employment Act. Under the act, the commission must endure the merit principle is upheld in the public service.

Peters said native people told commission interviewers they left the government because of racism, lack of advancement and challenge, and the inability to make a contribution to their community from within the bureaucracy.

The researchers talked to 155 current and former aboriginal public servants during the last two years. Some told of the general frustration and poor morale that face many government workers, Peters said.

Others spokes of racism and stereotypes. "I wanted a longer lunch hour so I asked if I could begin work earlier," said one unidentified native public servant quoted in the report. "My boss said, 'You could have more time for your beer."

Ruby Arngna'naaq, spokeswoman for the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, said she wasn't surprised by the study's findings. She said aboriginals working for the government often face the dilemma of having to help administer policies that might be harmful to their people.

"When you work for any government you do feel like a traitor to your people," said Arngna'naaq, whose organization represents 28,000 Inuit.

The Treasury Board is forming a committee of aboriginal public servants to look at the problem of retaining aboriginal employees and other job issues, said spokeswoman Grace Brickell. She didn't know when the committee would report but she said the public servants would be recruited from across the country.

Senior government managers and ministers have to lead by example and appoint aboriginals to positions of authority, said Narda Iulg, senior adviser on aboriginal employment for the Native Council of Canada. The organization represents 750,000 natives.

Until government managers "put their money where their mouths are," bringing down barriers to natives in the public service will be an uphill battle, Iulg said.

There are 3,893 aboriginal people in the public service, about 1.9 per cent of all employees. They are concentrated mainly in clerical and administrative jobs.

Those interviewed by the commission suggested the government strengthen employment equity rules, involve natives in the development of staffing policies and train non-native staff on the cultural differences and values of aboriginals.