Jane Groenewegen

Well, for the sake of this argument, Mr. Chairman, let’s just say it’s $60,000 that’s the average for the vacant positions, times 50 vacant positions system-wide right now that’s about $3 million a year. So would the Minister concur that his department is being funded an extra $3 million right now for positions for which there are no people? Thank you.

Well, that is concerning to me because there are many casual employees who derive at least some or all of their source of income from working there, and the Minister says they might have been included in meetings when the impending changes were discussed between management and staff. It doesn't seem like the Minister actually knows. Doesn't the Minister think that it might be appropriate to have that discussion with casual employees, so that he knows for sure that they are fully aware of what changes are coming and how it might impact them? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Page 6-8, infrastructure acquisition plan, courts, tangible capital assets, total tangible capital assets, $1.542 million, total activity, $1.542 million. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. As I said, the Premier has publicly stated that we are not broke and our fiscal situation has improved, so let’s keep the justice services close to the people they serve and let’s affirm our government’s support for the regions and say no to the centralization of programs and services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d just like the Minister to throw a ballpark at it. Something like you did in Hay River when you came up with $76,000 per position that you were cutting at 5.5 times $76,000. Would $76,000 be kind of an average type paid position within the Justice system? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. I spoke earlier today in the sitting of the Legislature about how I feel about the way casual and term employees are treated by the government. Some of these people have been there for quite a long time, particularly in Dene K'onia, not so much for the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre. Even there, though, there are some very long-serving casual employees. How would casual employees then plan their lives, livelihood and their incomes around this fact that they might just be called in less? What kind of consultation, counselling or planning has taken place with our casual...

Page 6-6, activity summary, legal aid services, infrastructure investment summary, total net book value and work in progress, $656,000.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let me again, on behalf of my constituents, both inside and outside the system of the community of Hay River and the South Slave region, express concisely why I am asking the Department of Justice, corrections, to leave the operations of the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre as is with respect to staffing our remand unit.

This change in mandate for SMCC will not net the savings projected for the upcoming fiscal year. It will immediately affect nine casual corrections officer positions and ultimately affect 5.5 permanent positions. As for the Audit Bureau...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister speaks to the value of the community justice committees and nobody is arguing with that, but I am saying in order to give them a lousy, measly $250,000, isn’t it a shame that we had to take five positions out of small communities to take away the regional justice coordinators in the communities in order to find that $250,000 in a $1 billion budget. That’s the part I find sad. No doubt those people are struggling and hats off to them if they are willing to work like that to try to divert their own people from having to deal with the justice system and the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I find Mr. Dent’s responses to some of the Members very interesting. I want to say I appreciate the comments of the other Members, specifically with regard to one area which is of importance to me; the remand closure in Hay River. I do appreciate the comments that were made.

The Minister keeps saying, on the transportation costs, that the RCMP says it’s not going to cost any extra; therefore, it is so. Well, they told it to the Audit Bureau, so for sure it’s not going to cost any more. I think that is a very shallow response; the Audit Bureau said that. There has...