Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of things that the Member may take comfort in. One of them is in the area of the courts and the justice system in Canada which recently have been focusing some attention on the victims. The courts and the administration of justice should have support and focus on victims. This is a very recent development as far as I know; it has been with us for just a few years. As conservative an institution as justice is, and the bodies of law that we follow, there is still some optimism that most participants in the court and justice system in Canada are focusing some of their attention and energies on the role and plight of victims, whenever justice is being administered.
In the Northwest Territories is commonly expressed by the R.C.M.P., the judges and the courts that this system is not working, in that we have no sense of the results of processing people through the courts. As far as society is concerned, what is the return? We are pumping a great deal of money from the tax payers into a system that is already the most burdened in North America. On a per capita basis, the most money demanded by the rates of crime is in the north. We have to look at alternative means of having justice provided on behalf of the communities. It is commonly expressed by judges and the R.C.M.P., and more and more communities are saying that they want to have a role. They want to have some ownership and participation in the administration of justice. The courts, the Department of Justice and the federal government are all indicating a great degree of interest and support for those communities that want to participate and make a difference.