Caroline Wawzonek

I acknowledge that is a good question. I do not have an answer for the Member right now. I will get an answer. It's important to have an answer. The new Corrections Act, really, is one that is a flagship for the North, for the Department of Justice. It's a piece of legislation that we are proud of, and I will look for opportunities and develop opportunities to make sure that we are sharing that with the public and showing the public the good work that is happening at the Department of Justice in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Department of Justice has been working on quite a bit of policy change. There have been policy documents getting developed, and, as they're doing that, they are also developing training to go along with that, and curriculum for the various staff members and levels of staff who will be required to implement all of the new programs and policies and procedures within the act. In addition to that, there are some operating guidelines. There are new reporting relationships being developed, and all of that work, again, is occurring at present. It's ongoing. Again, that's where I say the...

Madam Chair, thank you. It is perhaps fitting that we are going to discuss what I agree is an important debate on a day when we are otherwise very focused on marshalling resources here in the Northwest Territories for the health and safety of our people. It brings, for me, as Minister of Finance, into focus the fact that we are so dependent on the federal government for so many things. It brings into focus the fact that we have to remain, at times, more visionary and better leaders; more visionary of our future and better leaders for our people.

One of the priorities that we collectively set...

Madam Chair, I do have witnesses, and I think I can say at present staff from the Department of Finance, all of my senior staff from the Department of Finance, have been involved in a variety of meetings this morning, and they are on their way. They are not here. I think they had thought there would be a break, not realizing that we had just broken for lunch. I am told they are literally on their way here, but they are not here now. Madam Chair, I am prepared to begin speaking to the infrastructure supplementaries on my own and have the witnesses escorted in as they arrive.

At this point, it's still a recommendation that anyone coming back into the Northwest Territories would consider their own symptomology and determine whether or not they need to self-isolate. That is still the recommendation. Indeed, there have been media releases on a national level only just this morning about travel that is coming back internationally and recommending that anyone returning internationally, I believe, is being recommended, indeed, to self-isolate. They're being a bit more aggressive here in the Northwest Territories about travel coming in from elsewhere in Canada, as well...

I had the opportunity to meet with my colleagues from the Yukon at the First Ministers' Meeting that was held not long ago, and we had a very good conversation about a lot of initiatives that are happening in the Yukon right now. Indeed, some of our alternative courts were modelled after systems back in the Yukon. I can certainly assure the Member that those exact conversations with that jurisdiction will continue and that we will both continue to share best practices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Department of Justice will be doing some strategic planning when session is over. During the course of that, one of the priorities that we have that has been a personal priority for me is to achieve some movement in terms of the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in prisons. There are ways of doing that by increasing our community engagement; by increasing community justice programming; by looking to diversion programs; by truly avoiding people going into the jail system in the first place; by, for example, reducing the amount of people who are in remand. There are a number of levers...

I am not in a position to say what the police priority action plans will be that are developed between the RCMP and a specific community, but again, I can certainly look at the policing priorities that are developed on the Ministerial level. Then we'll certainly have engagement again with our RCMP and to speak to them about the concerns that are being raised. I am confident that, when they go through their own process with the community, it is a direct engagement. I have asked them in the past about that process and sought assurance that they are developing their community policing action...

I can certainly add the concerns raised here and, indeed, perhaps provide a copy of the Hansard of this Member's statement to the detachment commander to ensure that they are aware of those concerns that are being raised and encourage them to do what they can to engage directly. I can also ensure that, when we have meetings and engagements with communities, including with the community of Fort Smith, that I, too, am also being made aware of exactly the concerns by the community members directly from them so that we can continue to address them throughout the course of the next few years by the...

I will personally look into this and see what the status of any applications are. I don't know offhand. Certainly, it's not a new project, and it is an important project. I will look into it, and see that I respond directly to the Member, and that any information that can be tabled in this House, that we do so this session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.