Mr. Chairman, Members will note that there has been an overall increase in the Department of Justice main estimates of approximately $3 million. A large proportion of that increase relates to RCMP costs, including the new police contract, their PY base deficiency and inflation. For a number of years the RCMP budget has been largely frozen by both the federal and territorial governments. Between inflation and the continued need to place members in small detachments where per member costs are substantially higher, the RCMP was not able to fill all of their approved establishment of 225 members. The increase will allow them to fill vacant positions.

In addition, part of the increase in the 1993-94 Main Estimates is as a result of the transfer of the corrections service division to the Department of Justice.

There has been a net increase of 11 PYs as a result of the corrections transfer. Five are for administrative support, one for an assistant deputy minister, who will be responsible for Solicitor General functions, and the remaining five are for community justice positions.

Amendments made this year to the Department of Justice establishment policy and goals reflect the department's priorities and direction.

The mandate now states that the administration of justice in the Northwest Territories is to be carried out in a manner that respects community and aboriginal values, and encourages communities to assume increasing responsibilities. This is based on the principle that to be effective, the justice system must be accepted and respected by the people it serves. Local involvement will ensure the system meets community needs and goals.

We wish to take a new path. We have a great deal of work ahead of us. Some of the progress will be slow. Initiatives at the local level must be community-driven, but the Department of Justice is there to help. The Standing Committee on Finance has recommended that the department develop a vision and plan of action to implement a home-grown justice and corrections system, which is suitable to the needs of aboriginal people. This is a good recommendation and consistent with the direction of the department.

The work on community justice has already begun in a number of ways. Since the administrator of the justice of the peace program came to work with the department in August, 1990, he has assisted communities to decide how many JPs they require. He has trained JPs. He has travelled extensively in the Northwest Territories to speak about justice issues and, most recently, has produced two videos which have been aired on TVNC for distance learning. These interactive programs are for teaching JPs, and also for people who are interested in learning about justice issues.

The most recent production is on circle sentencing. This sentencing process has been used with success in the Yukon, and in other places in northern Canada. A group of people, including the offender, the judge and others, such as family members of the offender and the victim, get together to discuss the offence and to decide the sentence that should be imposed.

Three more video programs are planned. These will be on how to deal with offenders who commit assaults, how to handle offenders who abuse alcohol and drugs, and on the role of community-based justice committees in relation to the courts.

Justice officials continue to be involved in consultations. At the invitation of a community, people from the Department of Justice, and other justice agencies, have been happy to attend meetings to participate in discussions on how the community can become involved in justice matters. The department encourages continuing dialogue and is working on new ways to be of help.

The Department of Justice has participated in developmental work for RCMP pilot projects in Coral Harbour and Fort Good Hope to employ residents on a part-time basis to assist with policing. The department has also contributed funding along with the federal government for some community justice proposals.

The transfer of the corrections service division to the Department of Justice is an important part of reaching our goals. With the five additional community justice positions mentioned earlier, we will have a total of 11 community justice specialists and workers. The Department of Justice now has a strong regional presence to assist with the development of justice projects. Responsibility for assisting all the communities in the NWT will be divided up among the positions.

From their review of the 1992-93 Main Estimates, the Standing Committee on Finance recommended that the Department of Justice take the lead role in developing a strategy, by October 1993, to deal with violence in the Northwest Territories. Work is under way on this. Meetings have been held at the ministerial and senior officials level with representatives from Justice, Social Services, Education and the Minister responsible for the women's directorate. Work on terms of reference is progressing. A key element in the development of the strategy will be wide consultation. As we begin to look at violence in this manner, we are finding that other jurisdictions are taking a similar coordinated approach in the development of strategies.

Our work on the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts is continuing. A manager of systems started work with the department on February 1. One of his immediate priorities is work on the legal aid management information system. The executive director of the legal services board starts work on March 1. We will be discussing the Standing Committee on Public Accounts recommendations with him.

We have been pleased this year that due to measures taken with the cooperation of the legal services board, we have been able to contain legal aid costs within the budgeted amount. For 1993-94, we have reduced the legal aid budget to reflect the implementation of some of the cost saving measures recommended by departmental officials based on the Strength at Two Levels report.

Important departmental work will continue in other areas, such as gender equality initiatives, family law revision, commercial law development, land based and culturally relevant programming in correctional centres, and other issues of importance to northerners.

Mr. Chairman, these are my remarks. I invite Members to examine, in detail, the main estimates for the Department of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Finance is pleased to see the department respond positively to our recommendations with the development of the pro-active strategy on violence and the commencement of negotiations for additional aboriginal RCMP constables and community policing pilot projects. The committee feels there is merit to reviewing the potential benefits of a federal penitentiary and has asked the department to speed up the consideration of this issue.

With respect to community justice initiatives, we cannot wait for the communities. The Department of Justice must provide a vision, support and leadership to coax community development. The committee believes that our present justice system is not entirely suitable for aboriginal people. We must examine ways to improve the system. We should consider having elders involved in the judges' council so that they can introduce aboriginal cultural values to the justice system. The justice system is sometimes insensitive to the needs of the people it should serve.

There are many things which the government allocates resources to, such as legal aid, court parties and travel costs that do not necessarily meet the needs of aboriginal people. There is a clear lack of vision in terms of recognizing and meeting the needs of the people of the north. This deficiency is reflected in this and previous budgets. The Northwest Territories should have a home grown justice system. There are models we can learn from in other jurisdictions. It is our understanding the previous government visited the Navajo Nation and examined their method for running an independent justice system.

Mr. Chairman, there are a couple of recommendations which the committee would like to make at this time.

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Justice develop a vision and plan of action to implement a home grown justice and corrections systems which is suitable to the needs of aboriginal people.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have one final recommendation from the Standing Committee on Finance.

I move, that this committee recommends that the Department of Justice reinstate the budget item for jury duty fees to be given to people not granted civic leave in order to fulfil this duty.

Mr. Chairman, I have with me the deputy minister of Justice, Mr. Geoff Bickert, and the director of corrections, Mr. John Dillon.