Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under law enforcement, there is a task which deals with First Nations community policing. There are pilot projects under way in Coral Harbour and Fort Good Hope and they've been going on for more than a year. These projects are very interesting and I think this kind of program should be introduced into other communities as well. People in the communities are being trained in Coral Harbour and Fort Good Hope by the RCMP so they can assist in the work in the communities. I agree this is good.

I'm aware of a program in the provinces where on reserves, the Indian people have their own police force, I believe through the Solicitor General of Canada. I know a few of them, myself, and they do the police work right on the reserves, themselves. I think that's a direction we should go in some areas, since we're having difficulty getting more RCMP into the communities. I think this is a way to go. I've spoken about this is the past in the House, about the First Nations community policing program.

Maybe the Minister could explain to us how these two programs are coming along. Are they coming along as expected, what is the success rate in this program, and does the Minister and his department have the intention of expanding this program so that other communities can benefit? Thank you.

Mr. Avison.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Perhaps I'll deal just briefly with both, first with the community constable program. There is an evaluation being done to assess the effectiveness of those initiatives and the possibility of the transfer into other communities. They are really designed along the lines of the community police auxiliary, to increase the level of community involvement and assisting the RCMP in carrying out their responsibilities.

The First Nations policing policy is quite different. It actually contemplates the placement of an aboriginal police force within communities, and in a number of communities across the south now, those police forces are beginning to develop. There are some in Alberta, some in the province of Quebec, and in Ontario. The nature of them vary. For example, the funding that is received in Akwasasne supports a somewhat different model than what exists in Littlewood in British Columbia where a similar mechanism has been put in place as well.

There is some real financial incentive for us to be pursuing the negotiations that we've been involved with. As you know, the usual contract for police services with the RCMP is based on a financial formula of 70 per cent for the territories and 30 per cent for the federal government. The arrangement under the First Nations policing policy is a 52 per cent/48 per cent arrangement, so if we can successfully implement some of those strategies in the NWT, it has the potential of giving us better value for our policing dollar.

Thank you. We're dealing with the Department of Justice. Law enforcement, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. Regarding the First Nations community policing program from the Solicitor General of Canada, I know the territorial government is using this program in the two pilot projects in Coral Harbour and Fort Good Hope. What would be the position of this government if, let's say, one of the First Nations in the north took it upon themselves to pursue the First Nations community policing program with the Solicitor General of Canada, like the First Nations in the south are doing? Would this government support that initiative? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Mr. Antoine.

Just for clarification, is the Minister saying that the government, through the department, would negotiate an arrangement with the federal government and then the First Nations would approach this department to get into this program?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. The page we are dealing with is 06-9 of the activity, main estimates of the Justice department, law enforcement. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, once again, Mr. Chairman. Another area of this activity has to do with firearms, and the firearms task administers the national firearms program in the Northwest Territories on behalf of the federal government. I would like to ask the Minister if he could maybe give us a little bit of a background and the current situation with this particular task, the national firearms program? What is the status of it. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Law enforcement, total O and M. Mr. Antoine.

Just one further question on the firearms thing there. We are doing this on behalf of the federal government, this firearms task. Is any of it recoverable from the federal government? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Qujannamiik. Law enforcement, total O and M. Mr. Ballantyne.

I have a question about the justices of the peace program. Has the Minister made a decision as to who is going to replace Sam Stevens? There was some talk at one point of having a judge being responsible for the JPs. I know Chief Judge Halifax has sort of looked after the program for many years, but what are the present plans of the department?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.