Mr. Speaker, there are a number of communities in the Northwest Territories who have done some work to begin looking at developing or taking over the present system of justice, the administration of justice. Many of them have done that by getting involved in the present system by setting up small formal or informal working groups to establish working relationships with the local R.C.M.P., local Justices of the Peace, sometimes with the visiting judges and court circuits. In those cases where communities have expressed an interest in doing some work toward looking at setting up a process to begin discussing a process by which they could assume increasing responsibility for the administration of justice, we have tried to respond and, in fact, have just received one from the Member's office which said we should go into his constituency to begin discussing a process where we would establish with his constituents the matter in which they would feel best in working towards an aboriginal justice system, a system of justice where the aboriginal people would have more and more involvement and participation. That is generally the approach we take. We do not go in and deliver packages and encourage people to do things that they do not express an interest in or are not prepared to do anything about at this time. Different communities have different priorities but it is our view where the communities have demonstrated in the beginning a lot of voluntary effort to get involved in the justice system where we have judges and police who are very interested in working cooperatively with communities that these are the areas where we try to get fully involved. Thank you.
Stephen Kakfwi on Question 80-12(3): Community Based And Aboriginal Based Justice Systems
In the Legislative Assembly on November 24th, 1992. See this statement in context.
Return To Question 80-12(3): Community Based And Aboriginal Based Justice Systems
Question 80-12(3): Community Based And Aboriginal Based Justice Systems
Item 5: Oral Questions
November 23rd, 1992
Page 92
See context to find out what was said next.