Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Within our Justice department we’ve developed some communication tools so that we can reach out to the communities. We’ve also, of course, highlighted here in the Legislative Assembly and want to broadcast throughout the Northwest Territories as well. People are aware that this Victim Notification Program is out there. As the Member indicated and I stated in the House, there have been three applicants to date. I’m sure we’ll see more once we roll out the program as well as the communication plan.

Mr. Speaker, we have to look at all areas of the planning process. We are talking about 16 students in the community of Trout Lake; we have the capacity in the facility for 33 students. Those are the discussions that we need to have with the superintendents, the DECs. Mr. Speaker, capital planning will be up and coming before us and those are the discussions that we will definitely have. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Every year we go through this capital planning process and this year, again, we will be planning for next year’s capital project. Those types of discussion will be considered in due time. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 4, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2011, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we do deliver programs where we have contractors coming into corrections. We have elders dealing with those inmates working closely with the counsellors as well. We are trying to reach the people, the inmates within our correction facility to try to reach their root cause of why they are there and deal with those issues at hand. Once they leave the facility, they have the option of attending addiction treatment centre as well, Mr. Speaker, but we do within the corrections, we deliver, again, a vast area of treatment training program workshops that will continue to deliver and...

Mr. Speaker, we do have a treatment centre in Hay River. I think we need to continue what we have within our corrections. We, as the Member indicated, have 90 percent population whether it be Aboriginal from the communities. Those are the individuals that we can work with. Rehabilitation back to the community, reintegration back into the community, that we have somewhat control over within the establishment to deliver those specific programs that can help those inmates so they can go back to their community and start a life all over again. Those are the main focus and our priority as the...

My department can definitely meet with the Coalition Against Family Violence, the group, and report back on what’s happening, how they can be involved. We have various partners involved as well. It’s not only the Coalition Against Family Violence, the groups are out there. There are other NGOs that we need to work with, like, again, the 33 communities that we need to reach out to those victims and also the communities.

If those partners that have been identified have not been involved, then we should involve them. We need to start reaching out to the communities, the organizations, the NGOs, those individuals that can relay the messaging to those victims that have been impacted so they can be notified. We’re doing what we can as a department to work with those communities, the 33 communities that we service. Through telephone or radio announcement, newspaper and so forth, those are the ongoing initiatives that we’ll continue to pursue.

Mahsi. This is a foremost priority for our Justice department, whether it be at the national level or the territorial level. At any federal, provincial or territorial Ministers meeting, serving the small communities without RCMP detachments is always on the agenda. I assure the Member that we’ll continue to do that because we’re quite unique in the Northwest Territories versus other provincial jurisdictions and geographically our remoteness, travelling to the communities by charter plane. So, Mr. Speaker, this is a priority for our government, priority for my department as the Justice...

Mahsi. Those are the areas where we need to work with the community, such as Tsiigehtchic, what kind of service that can be provided at the community level. RCMP “G” Division comes into the community and they do have an overnight facility, but it only has one bed in there. So that creates some challenges when we have to have two officers in the community. But at the same time, we as the GNWT work with “G” Division as well to identify those key aspects of what’s required at the community. So we’ll continue to work with the Member and the community to identify those key areas. Mahsi.