Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to continue on with my general comments, and spend a little bit more time because there are a number of comments to be made about the budget before us.
Again, these are points that I find, myself, repeating, year after year, each time another Minister of Justice appears before this House with the appropriation bill.
One thing I have spoken about previously, Mr. Chairman, is the fact that in many ways the justice system seems to be established to mystify the people involved, rather than ensure that they are well served by it.
I brought this issue up way back in 1988, if my memory serves me well, it was around February 25. At that time, Mr. Chairman, I commented on that, because a lot of my constituents do not speak English, they cannot understand what happens when they are served with court documents.
If you are summoned, and do not appear in court, you could be charged whether, or not, you understand the notice that was served on you. At that time, there were a number of instances in my communities where aboriginal people -- specifically Dogrib speaking people -- who had encountered legal difficulties in this area.
Mr. Chairman, I do not believe that this situation has improved very much since I raised the issue. With all these same communication problems, with the process that occurred with the Kitty Reynolds case, even the Minister's own special advisor on gender equality has recognized that this is a problem.
I would like to quote from her report, which the Minister has now tabled in the House, "As with many other types of professions, the law has developed a language that is particular to it. In some ways, this is understandable, and almost unavoidable. However, it creates immense difficulties for those who do not understand legal language, and for those who must interpret proceedings into other languages. It is difficult to teach lawyers and others who use legal language to leave the habit behind. However, the use of a plain language in the court room must be encouraged, and at times, demanded."
Mr. Chairman, this problem is not only the problem of the justice system in the Northwest Territories. I know that this was something considered by the world commission on the Donald Marshall prosecution in Nova Scotia. One of their findings was that, and I would like to quote from that report, "In our view, native Canadians have a right to a justice system that they respect, and which has respect for them, and which dispenses justice in a manner consistent with, and sensitive to, their history, culture, and language."
I also would like to note that the number one recommendation in the report of the British Columbia Justice Reform Committee was that the Provincial Attorney General should establish a senior level policy making plain language committee.
This committee was supposed to work with lawyers, the judiciary, and the government, in developing a strategy for the implementation of plain language in the justice system.
Mr. Chairman, I believe that our Minister of Justice should be taking the lead role in working towards a plain language approach within our justice system. Again, I do not see how this particular budget that we have in front of us, will accommodate this sort of initiative. I wonder if the Minister can comment on what I just said.