Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, there is a public outcry from my area about the current justice system of this government; in particular, from the community of Gjoa Haven and the Gjoa Haven Justice Committee. The Gjoa Haven Justice Committee wants the community to have more control over the justice system in

that community. It has seen a justice system that has failed to meet real meaningful resolutions in some areas of justice.

Mr. Speaker, I have a statement from the Gjoa Haven Justice Committee, and I quote, "We want to make clear that the western justice system is still necessary, but reform is needed as a result of its many inadequacies. It is an adversarial system where one person wins and another loses. This system is ineffective because it relies on lawyers who are not from the communities and are the only ones who know the legal procedures of the system. It is a serious matter that the western justice system will continue to be necessary. However, more referrals are needed to a community-based justice system because it can deal with some problems better than any court can. It is clear that jails are not the answer. We want our people to be on the land, and not in jail, where they can learn how to survive."

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be asking how quickly this government is prepared to give more responsibilities of the justice program to communities. Thank you.