Oral questions. Oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Social Services. Can the Minister of Social Services advise me as to how many youth justice committees we currently have in the Territories?

Minister of Social Services, Mr. Whitford.

The question has been taken as notice. Oral questions, Oral questions.

I wonder, then, if I can take this opportunity on behalf of the Assembly to say it is with great pleasure that I recognize today, seated in the Speaker's Gallery, Her Honour, the Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Mrs. Helen Maksagak, accompanied by her husband, John.

--- Applause

Oral questions. Mr. Bernhardt.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to request unanimous consent to go back to Members' statements.

The honourable Member has requested unanimous consent to return to Item 3, Members' statements. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to add my words of praise to the Government Leader's for the new Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, there are a great many reasons for selecting Helen Maksagak of Cambridge Bay as the Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. She has been very active in church groups. She ran a successful foster home with her husband, John, for many years. She is a member of the social assistance appeal committee, the housing association, the drug and alcohol board of directors, and many, many other support groups.

Helen Maksagak is also a very warm human being who treats each and every person with compassion and makes them all feel very special. But, the most important reason why I think Helen Maksagak is a wonderful choice forDdeputy Commissioner is that she is my aunt.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bernhardt. We will return to Item 5, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Social Services a question. I realize he took my previous question under notice. I would like to ask the Minister it he knows the amount of money that has been given to youth justice committees. Can he give me the amounts granted to youth justice committees to complete the work required across the Territories? Thank you.

Minister of Social Services, Mr. Whitford.

Mr. Whitford, to be clear, are you taking the question as notice?

Oral questions. Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Justice and concerns legal interpreters in the courts. Court legal interpreters who have gone through the training program, when they are interpreting in court -- the only protection they have is that they are considered to be one of the court's officers. Is there any legislation to protect the court interpreters?

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, the short answer to that question is that there is no legislation that I know of to protect court interpreters from possible liability.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister's department considering drafting appropriate legislation for a court interpreters profession act?

Minister of Justice, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue has been brought to my attention recently as an issue which should be looked at. I can tell the honourable Member, at this point, that I have asked my department to examine the issue of the liability of court and perhaps other interpreters who work for our government. But as yet I have not received advice, nor have I formed an opinion about whether legislation or some other form of protection is advisable. But it is an issue that I have asked my department to examine. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary to the Minister of Justice. Will you and your department consider drafting legislation for legal court interpreters?