Mr. Speaker, I have two returns to oral questions. First, in response to Mr. Patterson, a question he asked on April 19, 1995 about whether or not there had been any consultations with judges, the defence bar, Crown prosecutors and legal aid clinics on the cutbacks and changes proposed for the legal interpreting program.
Officials of the Department of Justice have had discussions about the proposed changes to the delivery of the legal interpreter training program with members of the judiciary of the Supreme and Territorial courts, both in the regions and in Yellowknife, and with the director of the Crown Attorney's office at the federal Department of Justice office in Yellowknife. Following these discussions, a concern was expressed about adequate interpreter services being available for court.
During the 1994-95 fiscal year, the department spent in excess of $100,000 for interpreting services provided in court. The department intends to maintain expenditures at the level necessary to ensure adequate interpreter services continue to be available. The department shares the concern that training must be continued in order to meet the needs of the court.
The training program will only change in terms of who delivers it. An interdepartmental committee has been formed to determine how best to deliver interpreter training. The department is represented on the committee in order to ensure that the standards developed by the current legal interpreter training program for interpreter training will be maintained under a new training model.
Comments received pursuant to discussions with the judiciary and the Crown about proposed changes were forwarded to Avery, Cooper & Co. These comments and the subsequent consultation undertaken by Avery, Cooper & Co. with judges, lawyers and others will be considered when looking at alternatives to the current training procedures.
The committee has received two drafts of the consultant's report and is currently reviewing the second draft. The recommendation in both drafts emphasizes maximizing the benefits of all interpreter programs by offering one complete program through Arctic College. The department's recent actions with regard to the legal interpreter training program are well-aligned with the recommendations of the report. The department anticipated the fiscal problems the program was facing as well as the probable solution, as recommended by the consultant.
Mr. Patterson also said that it was his understanding that there are four vacant Inuktitut interpreter terminologist positions. In fact, there is only one Inuktitut interpreter terminologist position and it is currently being staffed to fill a vacancy.