Mr. Chairman, there is a revised summary which I think the Member does not have. There has been no change as a result of the recommendation from the committee the last time I met with them, so there has been no increase. Thank you.

There is probably a way for us to provide a record of that to Members, if that is what Mr. Antoine is requesting.

Mr. Chairman, I think it's an excellent idea. We should show the number of people who are summoned and those who fail to show for whatever reason. It might give some food for thought and may require some work for what the motive is for not showing, the circumstances that result in people not showing and whether or not the penalty is a significant factor in it at all. We will do that, perhaps, over the summer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These are the remarks on the legislative action paper on the office of the ombudsman for the Northwest Territories.

The standing committee has read its report on the review of the legislative action paper on the office of the ombudsman for the Northwest Territories on February 16, 1995.

In the report to this House, the standing committee stated their support of the legislative proposal contained in the action paper. In particular, the standing committee was satisfied with the role of the ombudsman, the jurisdiction of the ombudsman and the influence of the ombudsman contained in the paper.

The public was also receptive to the proposal to create an ombudsman-like office for the Northwest Territories. The action paper proposes an amalgamation of the office of the ombudsman with the office of the Access and Privacy Commissioner which is created under the recently-passed Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. However, it is the opinion of the standing committee that legislation creating the office of an ombudsman should be delayed until such time as an evaluation on the Access and Privacy Commissioner's office has been completed, and it has been determined whether there is a need for a more general type of ombudsman in the territories.

That's the report, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I have some general comments. I'm just wondering while we're going to be talking about the committee report, would it be acceptable for Members to ask questions about the report to the Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I was disappointed that the committee didn't support a quick move to open the office of the ombudsman. I have to admit, in fact, that the recommendation in the committee report caught me by surprise. I had actually expected that we would be discussing how to set the office up and not whether or not the office should, in fact, be set up. I thought that the legislative action paper and its proposal to combine the offices of ombudsman and Access and Privacy Commissioner seemed to present a very cost-effective way to achieve the opening of the office. I had hoped that, in talking about setting up the office, we could spend some time discussing adding a limited advocacy role for children and youth to the office of the ombudsman.

I would point out that the province of British Columbia did this with considerable success. In fact, in BC, they define child advocacy as activities undertaken intended to ensure that the rights, interests and viewpoints of children and youth are carefully considered and fairly represented in all matters that affect them. These advocacy efforts are particularly in relation to public policies and services, and are directed at both individual and systemic issues.

Mr. Chairman, too many young people in the north feel that they have no rights, and feel a real lack of respect from, in particular, government institutions. As the Standing Committee on Legislation noted in their report, with the growth of our government's bureaucracy, there is less and less accountability. Adults often have a hard time having their views heard. For young people, the problem is much more acute.

Right now, Mr. Chairman, service providers often feel that they risk biting the hand that feeds them if they go to bat for a child, because they may be seen as taking on their employer.

Mr. Chairman, as I said, I'm disappointed that we're not talking in detail about how the office could be set up, as a result of the report. What I would like to do is ask the Minister whether there are any plans to pursue setting up this office in his department at this point in time.