Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. This is an area that we have explored for quite some time now, on how we can get around the system, because there has been a few cases where they want to be reassessed and the only way to do that is through the court venue and, of course, it costs money to go through the process. So through our research in different areas, we are still doing some additional research, but I’m hoping that at the end of March we should have a program in place that we’re hoping deals with the child support payment recalculation services. This is an area that will very much, I guess, cover off or...

Mr. Speaker, although it has taken over two years, we want to have a program that is beneficial and that will resolve some issues or concerns are being brought to our attention through these 18 recommendations. We want to have the best product that is suitable to improve the offender supervision and also rehabilitation. The Member has alluded to rehabilitation on numerous occasions. We want to have the best product that we can deliver. That is probably why it is taking us some time, but we are coming to a conclusion in that respect. One of the goals, of course, either at the end of this...

Mahsi. That review has been undertaken, as the Member indicated, in 2008, and that information is within my department. If it hasn’t been shared with the standing committee, then I need to find out what we can share with the Members; what we’ve done to date since the review was undertaken, what work is ongoing and the future amendments that need to take effect. So, Mr. Speaker, I can provide that information to the Members and I’ll find out more about the specifics of the program. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In this particular area, recidivism is a complex issue and there are currently no national rates or indicators as it stands. Also, it has other complicated issues such as family violence. We also, as the NWT, work with the Canadian Centre for Justice stats and other provinces and territories to develop nationally accepted recidivism indicators. This work has been discontinued because of the funding cutbacks. So we are exploring different areas on how we can highlight these key indicators for our Justice department in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, this is an area that we need to work together. There are federal laws that we need to work with. They are case by case on an individual basis. Some individuals are federal inmates as well. As I stated, there are at times challenging times trying to find inmates to go out on the land. It is their choice. We can’t force them to go out on the land so we have to follow the judicial system as well. But I am willing to work with the on-the-land program that we internally have and building on the programming that is in place already.

Mr. Speaker, I committed to the Members...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are always on the lookout for any opportunities that can improve the well-being of our people of the Northwest Territories; that includes the inmates as well. We have initiated the on-the-land program in the Sahtu region. It has been successful to date, but at times it has been difficult finding those inmates within the institution because it would have to be on a volunteer basis. We can’t force them to attend these camps. So those are the areas that we continue to struggle with. It is a real challenging task, but we continue to push with other regions, as well, if they...

Those are the discussions that we’ve had with the Members as well, also the organizations: what needs to be amended, depending on what kind of program dollars are being expended to daycare operators and other operators and services that are being provided. Those are the discussions that we’ve had and part of the report that has been referred to has been highlighted as well.

Mr. Speaker, I believe in due time that will happen, whether it be the end of this government or early next government, but we do have that information that we need to share with the standing committee and providing that and possibly delivering a legislative proposal as the next step. I have committed that to the Member already. Mahsi.

I look forward to the Member’s information that he’ll be sharing with us with my department so we can move this file forward. As I’ve stated, we’ve gathered most of the information, but any information that the Member can provide that would be available to us to proceed with this file so we can deal with this matter that’s been before us within our department. I’ll commit to this House that we’ll continue to work on this file with that information.

We’ll definitely verify that. The report may have been given to the Standing Committee on Social Programs because my department deals specifically with the Social Programs committee, but if the Member didn’t receive that, then we can provide that additional information that was shared with the standing committee. Mahsi.