Brendan Bell

Mr. Chairman, thank you. With me today, Mark Aitken is the director of legislation, Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The purpose of Bill 8, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2006, is to amend various statutes of the Northwest Territories for which minor changes are proposed or errors or inconsistencies have been identified.

Each amendment included in the bill had to meet the following criteria:

It must not be controversial;

It must not involve the spending of public funds;

It most not prejudicially affect the rights of persons; and,

It must not create a new offence or subject a new class of persons to an existing offence.

Departments responsible for the various statutes being...

The answer is yes, Mr. Speaker, we're going to do everything we can to make sure we can pass this legislation in the life of this government. Obviously we're interested to hear what the Regular Members think about this. I'm sure they'll want to talk to their constituents. I think it's going to be a very positive and well received piece of legislation, which should enjoy the support of the House. So we think we can do it in this government. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the urgency. I know it's a priority for the community, and as soon as our schedules can be coordinated, we will look to do that. So I'll have my office speak with the community. Some help from the Member will be wonderful and we'll make sure the two of us can do that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following documents entitled Agricultural Products Marketing Council 2004-05 Annual Report and Agricultural Products Marketing Council 2005-06 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

No, Mr. Speaker, we don't. We can't introduce legislation that would override this federal legislation. But let me talk about a couple of things nationally. There's a Manitoba proposal; there's an advanced number of principles they'd like to see adhered to in the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They would like to see and recognize that deterrents should be, and can be, a valid youth sentencing principle. It really isn't today, and this change could be made. We could also talk more about permitting repeat young offenders to be detained in custody. Another thing, Mr. Speaker, we could do is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is Small Business Week across Canada.

Every year for the past 27 years, the Business Development Bank of Canada has championed Small Business Week to pay tribute to the contribution that small and medium-sized businesses make to our economy.

Approximately 90 percent of businesses in the NWT are considered to be small businesses. These businesses are the foundation of our most vibrant sectors and have been key components in our emergence as a leader in resource exploration and development.

In the NWT, it is small business that provides the energy and...

Mr. Speaker, it's a very difficult question. It's hard to know, in terms of cause and effect, what exactly has happened. It is something that criminologists study and something that we've looked at as a department. When we changed from the old young offenders legislation to the new YCJA, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, obviously the philosophy did change. It's less about custodial sentences. I think the idea is right. We may have swung too far, though, Mr. Speaker, and I think that's what we're seeking to address now. Programming is important, but there are cases where we need to ensure...

Mr. Speaker, thank you. I know that this is of particular concern right now in the Inuvik region. I know that the Member and Member Roland also attended a community meeting that was, I believe, hosted by the mayor to have some discussion and talk to the RCMP about what they are doing and what the community justice folks are doing in the community. I think there is some good programming. I think it is going to take certainly the community to come together to work on this issue, but they need tools and they need help. I think that's where we need to come in, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell you, just...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Minister on this point.