Good morning. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Bernhardt.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about the importance of aboriginal development corporations in the Northwest Territories.

These corporations provide an important economic instrument for aboriginal people to have some degree of economic control over their future, and to provide employment and training opportunities for aboriginal people. This helps build important infrastructure in our communities, and keeps the wealth within the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I know that to some extent, this government has offered encouragement to aboriginal development corporations. However, I believe we should be providing a definite focus on these types of organizations. Consideration should be given to assisting in the development of these corporations, and providing opportunities for their future growth.

However, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the composition of the corporations. I am not aware, at this time, of any legislation or policy that states the specifics of what would constitute an aboriginal development corporation. Does it mean all shareholders are aboriginal people, or 51 percent aboriginal shareholders? Does the government have any requirements for an organization to call itself an aboriginal development corporation?

I will be pursuing these questions with the appropriate Minister during question period today. Mr. Speaker, as I have stated before, I believe that these organizations are important economic instruments for aboriginal people, and should be fully encouraged by this government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bernhardt. I would like to recognize, in the gallery today, grade six students from St. Patrick's Elementary School; their teacher, Kris Ballard; and their classroom assistant, Belinda Green.

---Applause

Also, today in the gallery, there are nine students from Rimouski, Quebec, who are in a Voyageur 1992 Exchange Program with students from St. Patrick's High School. Welcome.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today, to say that I am disappointed, and appalled, with the way that the Department of Justice has mishandled a project known as Family Law Review.

This initiative was established way back in 1988, four years ago, and was supposed to result in a major reform of the territorial legislation in the field of family law. We were promised that this would result in family law, which reflects aboriginal traditions and values. We have been repeatedly promised that it would bring seriously outdated legislation up to current standards. This promise has not been kept.

Over and over, three successive Ministers of Justice have told us that we will soon be seeing the report, but still the project is not completed. Never in the history of the government, of the Northwest Territories, has a department initiative been so badly bungled.

The contract and procedures, and overall costs of the project, have been treated secretively, ever since it began. Apparently high priced consultants have left the Northwest Territories without meeting contract conditions. The so-called working group of community representatives, seems to have changed membership every six to nine months.

In short, the official management of this critical initiative is nothing short of a major embarrassment for the territorial Department of Justice, and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Sadly, aboriginal families have waited for years, and years, to see traditional principles surrounding custom adoption established, and legislation has been treated as a back burner priority.

Further, women and men of all cultural backgrounds have been forced to resort to costly and protracted court actions, because of the absence of the enforceable marital property laws.

Perhaps, most shameful of all is this state of current Child Welfare Act legislation, which I believe could be the most ineffective in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, the government should just forget about the failed initiative now, and find an alternative strategy for fast tracking the development of legislation, before even one more dollar is spent on the consultants, officials, and committees that have delayed the process so long.

I trust that our new Minister...

Sorry, Mr. Gargan, the allotted time has expired. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Speaker, can I ask for consent to continue my statement?

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays, please proceed, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and honourable Members. I trust that our new Minister of Justice will realize the failure of the current review, and will now develop a new and effective strategy to take its place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many people are very confused because, in our Assembly, we have a Mace, which is supposed to represent something. People are not sure exactly what it does mean.

Mr. Speaker, a long time ago, as we all know, if you had power, you had to have a way to keep that power. Usually it was by the force of arms. In other words, the strongest people with the biggest army were the people that held power. The club of the Mace was a symbol of power.

In this House, however, Mr. Speaker, we do not inflict our will on other people by force of arms. We do it in a peaceful manner. That Mace, which sits in front of us, does not represent power which is imposed on other people, it sits quietly on the table, and we settle our differences like peaceful people, through debate. Those people who worry about having this symbol, should regard it not really as a symbol of great power that people have over other people, but as the right of ordinary citizens to represent themselves, if you like, in a peaceful manner in this House. It has become not a symbol of great authority and great strength, but really as a symbol of peace. What you have, is that we have laid down our arms, we have put them on the table, and we discuss our differences in a peaceful, dignified fashion.

Mr. Speaker, when I look at that Mace, I recall that I knew all the people that made it. A small group of people in Cape Dorset in 1956, sat down and took a piece of narwhal tusk, and got copper from the Coppermine River, and got beads from the MacKenzie River area, the MacKenzie Valley, and got pieces of wood from the ships that, at one time, explored the Northwest Passage, and they created a thing of beauty. That group of people worked cooperatively, and did it in a very, very short time, on the request of the then Governor General of Canada, Vincent Massey. Since that time, we have had something which is our own, a symbol of the authority of the people, and a symbol of peace. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Members' statements, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to comment on this government's approach to correctional services, and the whole process of offender rehabilitation.

I am generally satisfied with the transfer of responsibility for corrections to the Department of Justice. We should hold no illusions that this move will automatically result in improved effectiveness, and efficiency, within our correctional system. There must be a new approach to go along with the new administrative framework. Like many northerners, I have been concerned for a long time about the number of adults incarcerated in our territorial correctional facilities, and about the way in which those same individuals find themselves returning to jail over and over again.

I am concerned about the quality of supervision provided for probationers and parolees in the smaller communities, and about the lack of preventative and post-release programming. I am particularly concerned, Mr. Speaker, about the almost total absence of counselling and therapy programs available to meet the needs of violent and troubled offenders.

Our correctional system, Mr. Speaker, simply is not working. We need to take a fresh look at the cultural relevance of many of our correctional programs, and redesign them to include a role for community resource people, and particularly the elders.

We need to develop effective, hopefully sound, treatment programs for adult offenders, and to follow-up with effective post-release programming in the communities. We need to establish well planned diversive programs in community settings, so that the offender incarceration becomes seen as a costly and unavoidable last resort. With the transfer of corrections division to the Department of Justice, now is the time for our correctional administration to consider these new and more effective options. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Allooloo.

(Translation) Qujannamiik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a reply to Mr. Pudlat. The question regarding Lake Harbour arena. The construction of an arena is currently scheduled in the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs capital plan for 1996-97, and 1997-98. Unfortunately, I am unable to commit to advancing the construction time frame for a specific project at this time.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs capital planning process is structured to provide for the orderly delivery of capital construction throughout the N.W.T. The capital plan is developed through a process which sets in priority the needs of all communities across the N.W.T. This priority listing is developed based on established standards, and criteria, which assess, among other things, community population, access to existing facilities, and community capability of carrying the increased financial burden associated with operating a new facility. However, as is our current practise, my department and I will monitor changes in community needs and conditions through the capital process, and consult with the hamlet. Thank you.

Returns to oral questions, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question asked by Ms. Mike on September 14, 1992, with regards to clean up of abandoned D.E.W. Line sights.

In 1990, the federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs conducted a preliminary assessment of all 21 abandoned D.E.W. Line sights located across the Arctic. In 1992, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs started a comprehensive assessment of five sights located in the western Arctic. They were Atkinson Point, Horton Point, Pearce Point, Bernard Harbour, and Matheson Point. My department was advised that the western sites were chosen because the contractor was already undertaking work in the western Arctic. This scheduling allowed for maximum use of the short summer field season. Detailed assessment of the remaining abandoned D.E.W. Line sites, including sites in the eastern Arctic, is planned for future years.

While not directly related to abandoned D.E.W. Line sites, clean up programs at the several military sites located in the eastern Arctic, are currently being undertaken by the federal government. A clean up program is under way at Coral Harbour, while an assessment of United States Coast Guard sites located at Cape Christian and Padloping Island, began in 1992. The tenders have also been requested to clean up three military sites located near Iqaluit. They are the upper base, north 40, and west 40 sites. Thank you.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice should recall that on June 24, my colleague from Baffin Central pointed out that prior to the transfer of corrections, there were 254 correction positions, only 74 of these were filled by aboriginal people, and only one management position was filled by an aboriginal person. Recognizing that about 90 percent of the inmate population in the territorial correction facilities is made up of persons who are of aboriginal descent, will the Minister explain how it is possible to establish a culturally relevant correction program when aboriginal people are so under represented among the staff that works with the offenders?

Mr. Kakfwi.

Question has been taken as notice. Oral questions, Mr. Bernhardt.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. As I said in my Member's statement today, aboriginal development corporations are an important economic instrument for aboriginal people to gain some economic control over their communities. However, I am concerned about what this government considers an aboriginal development corporation, as opposed to a private corporation. My question is, could the Minister please tell me if his department has a policy in place that defines an aboriginal development corporation for the purpose of receiving business development assistance from the Government of the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Pollard.