Charles Dent

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the sheriff is an employee of the government, yes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure that the Member can trace it exactly the way that she did, but I would agree with her that this government does recognize its obligation to provide an education to children. I think that what I have been saying is that we believe we are providing the funds to the DEC, and through them to the DEA. If there is a problem, that needs to be addressed at the local level, and the department may need to work with the DEC and the DEA to make sure that the solution is found. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since 1999-2000 to this year, the amount of funding that has been provided to divisional educational councils to fund programs for children with special needs has gone from just over $6 million to over $16 million. So there has been a pretty dramatic growth in the amount of funding in the past four years. It has more than doubled. That I think indicates that there has been some commitment on the part of this legislature to provide funds, and I guess what we are going to have to find out in the next little while is whether or not that increase has been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s in all our interests to make sure anybody who is capable of getting a higher education in the Northwest Territories is given a hand to get that education. So the department is constantly reviewing the programs that are offered and looking at ways to improve them. I would say that as part of our regular reviews we will continue to do that and make sure our programs are offered in the best way possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to reinforce what the Member said in his statement. This is a federal program and we deliver it in the Northwest Territories only for the convenience of our residents to make sure that it’s easier for people to get it, rather than having to write to someone farther away to get it. We don’t set the terms and conditions. What the residents of the Sahtu will have is access to the same programs that residents have across the Northwest Territories, which in general are very supportive of education and training. If the Member has some specific issues, I would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would agree with Mr. Delorey that we should try and minimize any expenses in these sorts of situations and maximize the payments that would be going to affected individuals. I will certainly look into whether or not we can, in the future at least, find a way to use government properties for storage and I’ll report back to the Member what my findings are. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I don’t know if I can answer all the detail of the question the Member has posed. However, it’s not uncommon for this government and most governments to charge fees for services that they provide to the public. For instance, if you go in and want to register a document in court registries, there is a fee. If you want to get a driver’s licence, there is a fee for that. When the public asks that a service be performed that isn’t being provided to everybody, it isn’t unusual that there would be a fee charged. My understanding is that that’s the situation also with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide an update to Members of the Legislative Assembly on the Department of Justice’s work to implement the Protection Against Family Violence Act.

This act, passed during the 14th Legislative Assembly, provides for 24-hour access to emergency protection orders when there is an act, or threat of family violence. It also provides victims of family violence with long-term protection orders.

Anyone who has lived, or is living, in a family or intimate relationship with the accused will be able to apply for protection under this act. For example, this could...