Provincial Treasurer and Minister Responsible for the Public Service Commission of PEI, Honourable Patricia Mella announced a Diversity and Equity Policy for the Civil Service of Prince Edward Island.
The policy is designed to support an innovative and inclusive workforce which, at all levels, is representative of the diverse population it serves, which recognizes, respects, and accommodates "diversity of individuals" as a basic human right and makes use of the full range of talents and perspectives available to the business of government.
"We believe that an appreciation and awareness of our diverse population can help the civil service to identify and capitalize on opportunities to improve programs and services; attract, retain, motivate and utilize human resources effectively; improve the quality of decision making at all levels of the civil service; and reap the many benefits from being a socially conscious and progressive civil service," said Minister Mella.
As part of the policy development, a decision was made to create a special award to recognize employees who had made a special contribution towards the promotion of diversity in the work place. Janet Doiron, a Civil Service Employee for 27 years, was recently honoured with the first Premier's Award for Diversity promotion within the PEI Civil Service. Janet has made a significant contribution to equity and diversity programs during her tenure with the PEI Government. Janet was the first co-ordinator of the employment program for persons with disabilities which started in the early 80's. "Janet's commitment to inclusiveness and celebrating diversity has helped us get to where we are today – implementing a Diversity and Equity Policy in the PEI Civil Service," said Elaine Noonan, CEO, PEI Public Service Commission.
"It is important for government to reflect and be representative of the province's diversity to best meet the needs of Islanders, and it is my hope that all Islanders will individually benefit from this policy," said Provincial Treasurer Pat Mella.