Charles Dent

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the last five years, the complement in the region has been increased in the Fort Liard detachment. I am not sure that in the region there has been a dramatic change. That may have something to do with the position the Member is asking about. I did commit already that I would check with the RCMP and see what I can find out in terms of any extra funding and allocations they may have made.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to announce the establishment of the Official Languages Board and Aboriginal Languages Board. The establishment of these boards is a major achievement for this government with respect to our commitment to the NWT official languages and the revitalization of aboriginal languages.

During the last Assembly, the Special Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act set out 65 recommendations. Members of the 14th Legislative Assembly sent a strong message by accepting all 65 recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, this government has acted on those...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a wide range of programming available for young offenders in our facilities, everything from schooling to special programs aimed at troubled youth. The On-the-Land programs have had a bit of a setback in the recent past because we haven’t had enough people incarcerated to have the interest in going out to that kind of facility. The other problem we face, of course, is there has to be a willingness on the part of the person incarcerated to attend an On-the-Land program. They can’t be forced to attend it. But we have, in the past, offered those kinds of programs...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. From the Department of Justice, I have Mr. Mark Aitken with me.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Bill 7 amends the Legal Profession Act to enable law firms to deal with trust monies that lie unclaimed in lawyers’ trust accounts. This bill was developed at the request of, and in close consultation with, the Law Society of the Northwest Territories.

The legal professional is subject to very stringent accounting rules and obligations relating to trust funds. Literally every penny must be accounted for. Occasionally money is left unclaimed in a trust account, having been forgotten by a client or left unclaimed for other reasons. Examples include...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Status of Women Council of the NWT 2003-2004 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On my right I have Mr. Mark Cleveland, deputy minister of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. On my left is Rebecca Veinott, who is legislative counsel, Department of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to look into whether or not we could accommodate that request. If it's something that could be done easily by e-mail, then certainly we could use it as an opportunity to contact students and remind them, for instance, that it's time to get their names in for employment in the summer. There are a number of reasons that we may want to contact students; but reminding them, too, that any change that they may have made to their program, if they haven't been successful, may impact on their qualification for funds, would also be a good idea....

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Bill 12 is An Act to Amend the Education Act.

The key objective of the amendment to the act is to clarify and confirm the authority of education bodies to hire and employ superintendents of education outside the public service. This bill includes a consequential amendment to the Public Service Act.

The changes proposed to the act will support provisions of the Education Act originally intended when the act came into force in 1996, namely the education bodies would be allowed to hire and employ superintendents outside of the public service. In fact, the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the expectation is that a student embarked on a post-secondary career will have read the application form, understand what the requirements are, and be aware that any changes in their situation may impact on whether or not they owe money back to the department, or whether they will be considered in the future. The department does not actively follow up to see whether or not somebody has been successful in the first semester. The expectation is that the student, as part of their process, will make sure that they stay in compliance with the rules and...