Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to a question asked by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, and it deals with native custom adoptions. Custom adoptions are taking place across the Northwest Territories every day. A native custom adoption occurs whenever the child is given to the adopting parents by the natural parents or grandparents. Sometimes the adopting parents want to submit the custom adoption to the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, which requires the completion of documents for the court. Social workers in the communities and officials in headquarters assist people in the regions by helping to complete these documents.

There is no delay in custom adoption due to the family law review currently under way. My department officials in headquarters advise that they are processing adoptions as they come to the office from the regions. However, once reviewed here, they go to Justice for review and submission to the courts. If there are problems with the documents, staff in Yellowknife headquarters work with the community worker to fix them. Sometimes a worker is very busy in a community with child welfare, social assistance, probation and young offender cases, and cannot process a native custom adoption as quickly as people would like. People do not have to use the social worker and many do not. Many people go to their court worker or legal aid clinic if there is one in their community. I am advised that both these organizations assist and so the delay may be with them. However, all workers and staff in my department have been directed that they are to help people with custom adoption documents and this still takes place in the same way it has for many years.

The family law review will be making recommendations on whether or not to pass laws on custom adoption. The only delay this creates is with respect to reforming the present system. The review process has not resulted in delays by my department or staff processing custom adoptions.

In summary, I can advise the Member that the department is processing adoptions and will continue to help people whenever they are asked.

I have another return if I may, Mr. Speaker. As a matter of fact I have two more.