Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On September 29, 30 and October 1, 1992 the Deh Cho Tribal Council hosted the "Justice In Deh Cho, 1992 Forum on Justice and Legal Issues". Sixteen resource people attended the conference to share with the community their knowledge, experience and feelings in relation to justice issues.
The aboriginal justice directorate, the aboriginal policing directorate and the aboriginal corrections directorate are all federal initiatives helped to fund the conference as well as send key facilitators to explain what their directorate did as well as to offer some suggestions. The Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Justice also helped to fund and send facilitators to inform the communities what the direction the G.N.W.T. is starting to take. Key aboriginal resource people also participated. These people shared with the communities their experiences, difficulties and suggestions to deal with justice issues and aboriginal communities and organizations.
Joan Ryan and Marie Dell Rabesca from the Dene Cultural Institute justice project in Lac La Martre made presentations regarding Dene traditional justice. Joe Tambour and Roy Fabien presented workshops on alcohol and drug abuse, family violence, sexual assault and healing. Aboriginal people from the south such as Frank Brown from Bella Bella, B.C., Chester Cunningham from the Native Counselling Service of Alberta and Liz Scout, an aboriginal policing consultant to the Woodlands Cree Reserve, all participated.
The "Justice in Deh Cho Forum" consists of plenary sessions and workshops. The topics covered were the tribal and police band forces, community based policing and the R.C.M.P., alternative youth corrections, aboriginal correction models, justice of the peace program, community justice committees, elders' circles and reflections on possible ways to integrate community justice with the existing system.
Twenty seven recommendations were made, Mr. Speaker. They were presented to the Deh Cho Tribal Council. These recommendations had three main themes, there is a need for more workshops, education...