Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has recently increased our income security program to meet the needs of the community — the demands of the high cost of living in the community: the clothing, the food, the shelter. So we did increase in that area. That is one area that has been highlighted from our previous visit to the communities. So that has been initiated.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to announce that the first class of Aurora College graduates to have completed their Bachelor of Education degree in the Northwest Territories held their convocation in Fort Smith on April 27, 2008. The class included 15 graduates. Thirteen are from the Northwest Territories communities of Deline, Fort Good Hope, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Yellowknife. Two graduates are from outside of the NWT, from Fort Chipewyan in Alberta and Richibucto Village, New Brunswick. I congratulate all of the graduates and welcome them into the workforce. I learned that many of...

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce that the new RCMP detachment is now open in Sachs Harbour. This has been a priority of both this and previous governments for many years and has finally become a reality. A corporal and constable are now in the community providing full-time policing services. They will be able to respond immediately to any situations that arise and will work on crime prevention activities with community members.

The detachment in Sachs Harbour was closed in 1992 due to resource issues. Since then officers from Inuvik have provided regular patrols and responded to emergencies...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I have with me here today to introduce Bill 4 Mark Aitken, director of the legislation division.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The purpose of the bill — Bill 4, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2008 — is to amend various statutes of the Northwest Territories for which minor changes are proposed, or errors or inconsistencies have been identified.

Each amendment included in the bill had to meet the following criteria:

It must not be controversial;

It must not involve the spending of public funds;

It must not prejudicially affect rights; and

It must not create a new offence or subject a new class of persons to an existing offence.

Departments responsible for the various statutes being amended have...

Mr. Speaker, when I met with the federal minister and the provincial ministers last fall in Winnipeg, one of the discussions was potential changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They are seeking our input, from all jurisdictions, and I do believe that review of the input will be starting this summer, late fall. It could change. There are a lot of concerns in that area, so we’ll certainly provide our input to deal with those issues.

Mr. Speaker, if the report comes out stating that the building still could be utilized for a number of years, then we can certainly utilize the building, whether it be for program delivery.... We are looking at options for that particular building, and we are going through some stages here. What we propose here is part of the Arctic Tern plans, but there are other options that may be fully utilized in that facility.

Mr. Speaker, there is a review that’s been undertaken, and that review should be completed sometime early next month, I do believe. Once we have that package, then we can certainly discuss it with the Member.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Member for inviting me to tour the facility. At this time we do have our department staff and our Aurora College staff, and possibly the chairpersons, visiting the facility. I want them to see what kind of facility there is there. So from there, we can talk about the process.

Certainly, the Member wants to push this forward, but we need to sit down and develop plans. We need to work with the industries as well. It has to be based on the needs of the Northwest Territories.