David Ramsay

I thank the Minister for that. I know the good work that’s done around the Territory by service and program providers in the area of family violence. It’s much appreciated and our residents are glad that those services and programs are out there for them. I wouldn’t want to underestimate the work that’s happening there. I think it is good work.

The Minister talked about partnerships. Some of the dialogue that I have had here in the last couple of days has been with the Minister of Justice. I think a big part of this is targeting really the only person that can make a difference in domestic...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a few questions on community health programs. First off, I wish the Minister and the department every success in trying to get together a respite program for the entire Territory. I think it’s a big piece of work and something that I think will be greatly appreciated in communities around the Northwest Territories. It think that’s a step in the right direction.

I also wanted to thank the Yellowknife Association for Community Living for the program that they’ve run quite successfully here in Yellowknife for the last number of years. I’ve seen, firsthand...

Mr. Speaker, I hate to think that the next victim is part of the justice system here in the Northwest Territories and part of an individual’s rehabilitation plan. That’s hard to imagine, Mr. Speaker; the fact that someone can reoffend 19 times of a violent nature, in this case, and there are other instances.

I spoke of an individual that has 18 prior convictions. He got five months for assaulting his partner. This speaks to some serious flaws in the way that we are rehabilitating offenders of violent crime here in the Northwest Territories.

Again, I’d like to ask the Minister -- I asked him...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got questions for the Minister of Justice again today following up on some of my questions and my statement from yesterday. Again, getting back to sentences that are handed out to individuals who have repeatedly committed offences of a violent nature, you know, yesterday the Minister was talking about the programs and services that are available to people who are incarcerated in our corrections system. Mr. Speaker, I’d like the Minister, perhaps he can explain to me and to this House and to the public in the Northwest Territories how the system that we have in...

Thank you. It sounds like as far as the department is concerned, it’s a year-to-year process and they just take each year as it comes. I’m not sure if coming up with a better plan and a long-range plan to accommodate, like I said, 65 grads in the next three years might be something that’s worthwhile to the department and to this government. I’d like to ask the Minister, does the Department of Health and Social Services and the health authorities consider positions that are currently filled by locums and agency nurses to be vacant and why aren’t those positions posted? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Getting back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about northern nursing grads, this year we’re expecting to graduate 19 and next year 16 and then in 2013, 32. So we’re going to have close to 65 northern nursing grads enter into our health care system hopefully in the next three years.

I’d like to ask the Minister, it was almost four years ago she went to Aurora College and spoke to the students just entering the program, promising them jobs upon completion of the program. I’d like to ask...

I thank the Minister for that. I’m not on the Social Programs committee, but that’s the first I’ve heard of the department going down that road and, again, that’s good news. I guess you have to ask questions to find out what’s going on, Mr. Chairman. I’m happy to hear that.

Again, with the issues I’ve been raising in the House here with the incidents of spousal assault, violent crime in our communities, in our Territory, and the money that we’re spending, I don’t think that we can underestimate it enough that we have to take the programs that we are delivering today and ensure that they are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If individuals are recommitting offences 15, 16, 18, 19 times, Mr. Speaker, doesn’t the Minister want to state to this House and state to the public that, yes, we have a problem with the way we are rehabilitating individuals that are incarcerated in our corrections system, Mr. Speaker? That’s obvious. I’d like to again ask the Minister to commit to a review of services and programs provided to individuals who are incarcerated in the Northwest Territories today for violent crimes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got some questions today for the Minister of Justice getting back to my Member’s statement where I talked about the latest statistics indicating that close to 70 percent of all adults in custody today in the Northwest Territories are there for violent offences. I’d like to begin by asking the Minister what programming or rehabilitation services are currently available for violent offenders incarcerated in the Northwest Territories correctional facilities. Thank you.

What there is clear evidence of is that the authorities have been grossly underfunded for a number of years, and I think that’s a large piece of the deficit that’s been allowed to build up. The reason is because they’ve been underfunded. I’m wondering what steps the Minister can take. Obviously, I don’t think that’s been addressed in this budget, but they need to be funded to a more appropriate level and how are we addressing that? I guess that’s the question I’ll leave the Minister with. I know my time is up. Thank you.