Louis Sebert

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to recognize Marnie Villeneuve and Michelle Brown, residents of Thebacha.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can commit to asking the rental officer to do that.

I don't actually have those figures, but I will undertake to provide them to the Member opposite.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the period of 2016-2017, there were actually fewer applications, but there were more complex issues involved in those applications. Also, too, the long-standing rental officer retired, so that left one rental officer working there. Those two issues led to delays, which we fully acknowledge. Now, I have noticed that the numbers for the period from April 1, 2017, to January 31, 2018, do represent an improvement. So we are committed to improving those numbers further, Mr. Speaker. We knew there were also pressures on the office administrator's workload, and those...

Yes, as mentioned earlier, we do have various courts, DVTO court and wellness court, that are new to the system and are exciting and hopefully initiatives that will result in a change. We realize that there is an over-representation of Aboriginal people in the system and in the jail system, but particularly, as I mentioned, there are the specialized courts, there is corrections programming, court workers including legal aid and outreach, so we are making improvements. Hopefully, these many initiatives will lead to success. Thank you.

Dealing first with the question specifically with respect to the jury system itself, yes, I think it has served the North well. The jurors are selected at random from the health card list, those who are eligible for health insurance. In my experiences, juries that I've dealt with, probably 20 or 30 jury trials, they do fairly represent the communities. I didn't always like the verdicts they delivered, but I always thought they were fair and that they represented the community.

Yes, the Department of Justice and the government as a whole are concerned about the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the justice system. We are doing things to ameliorate that situation, including restorative justice, specialized courts, corrections programming, court workers, and legal aid, to just list a few areas. As I say, there are problems in society and in the judicial system, but I do not think the jury system is part of the problem.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. By "us," I meant that it had served the system well for a thousand years. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, I will move that Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I imagine this matter will be discussed at the next FPT so, should it be on the agenda, certainly we will be involved with that discussion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.