Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Recommendation five of the Standing Committee on Finance's Report on the Review of the 1995-96 Main Estimates was considered and carried in this House on Tuesday, April 4, 1995. The committee recommended that the Department of Justice reallocate $300,000 in expenditures from correctional centres, the young offenders' facilities to the victims' assistance task and, further, that the funding for victims' assistance be integrated into community wellness strategy.

Members of the standing committee have legitimate concerns that government efforts in the areas of corrections and assistance for victims of crimes have been focused unfairly towards the offenders and not towards victims. The recommendation reflects a desire to tip the scale a little more in the victims' favour, as it were. The standing committee recognizes that it is not always as simple as it seems to reallocate funds in the manner described in our recommendation. We acknowledge the efforts made by the Minister of Justice to meet the spirit of the recommendation, and we are confident that these efforts will ensure that government spending better reflects the true needs and desires of the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.