R.J. Simpson

We have Crime Stoppers in the territory. It's a civilian non-profit organization that brings together police services, the media, and the community. It's a place where community members can report crimes that they see and provide this information to police. I know that, when I drive in Hay River, I see a little Crime Stoppers sign. However, I think, like I said, we could be doing more.

When the Health Department runs a new program, you see ads on every single social media platform. You see it everywhere you go. What are we doing to get the word out there that there is this avenue and that...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 497-19(2), Corrections Workplace Assessment"; and "Operating Plans for the Northwest Territories Education Bodies for the 2020-2021 School Year Ending June 30, 2021." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We just went through a lengthy budget process, and as the Member is aware, there are no additional resources in that budget for the Legal Aid outreach clinic. That being said, I think that it is a very valuable area, and it is one area that I am pushing for and trying to figure out how we can expand it. I think that it is one of those areas that we could have even located outside of Yellowknife. We could have a position somewhere else and expand the access to residents across the territory. There are opportunities for outreach lawyers to create educational materials for residents to give them...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I love it when I can say "yes," so I wish the Member would have asked me a different question.

---Laughter

In this case, Mr. Speaker, having access to the library through a FOB allows there to be 24-7 access for lawyers in the territory, which is valuable for small law firms and independent lawyers who have the ability to go to the courthouse any time of the day, after hours, and get into the legal resource centre. During the day, members of the public can access that resource, as well. They just have to talk to staff, and they will let them in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the second time. This bill amends the Education Act to allow Members of a district education authority to have terms of office of two, three, or four years corresponding to the term of the members of the governing body of the community that the district education authority represents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Member raises great points. This legal resource centre was initially supposed to be more open to the public on the first floor of the courthouse, but things came up during renovations. It moved up to the fourth floor. He is correct that it is separate from a lot of our other resources. I think that is the type of work that we need to be doing, looking at how we can have more of a storefront, how we can make these services more accessible. As we move forward, I am having those conversations with the department. There is nothing in the works right now, given that we don't have the new...

No. I want to thank the Member for bringing this up because, really, what the issue is, as I see it, is access to justice. A law librarian in Yellowknife is a way to increase that access to justice. Primarily, though, it is a tool for lawyers. I think that we share the same ideal of increasing access to justice, and there are other ways to do it. If we were to put resources into something, I don't think that a law librarian in the downtown Yellowknife courthouse is necessarily the best way to do it and the best way to reach the most citizens of the territory.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

No, we won't be changing the regulations. We won't be stopping this practice there. The CRA, whose program this is, has policies to prevent undue hardship. The Income Assistance Program has policies to exempt these types of funds. There're people who have made payment arrangements with CRA. There're people who have already paid this back. We'd be punishing them for paying the money back when they could have just not paid it back and had it forgiven by Income Assistance. Essentially, what the Member is asking is that the GNWT take over the CERB program and then pay CERB. That's what we would be...

CERB never did reduce Income Assistance. Right now, if someone receives a tax refund, it is counted as income. If the Government of Canada takes that back, it's still counted as tax income. The Income Assistance Program does not pay debts. However, the Government of Canada has stated that they are not going to be clawing back any of the monthly or quarterly tax credits that people received, such as GST or Child Tax Benefit, so it would likely only be the income tax refund. For the majority of clients, that's worth $350, so that would be $350 out of the $1,200.

The Government of Canada is taking...