Mr. Chairman, I would just add that the Department of Justice is a service department. We have legal registries and courts, policing, corrections, coroners, labour standards and so on. We have a role to play and have been at some preliminary negotiations at the Beaudel table. All departments are being called upon to attend those negotiations to discuss within a framework agreement which was negotiated among the three parties, what and how could be transferred or devolved to the claimant group. We are in negotiations as a department, but to date, it has been more of an exchange of information session and identifying areas where the claimant group would like to be involved and examining some of the aspects of that involvement in terms of its pragmatism and whether or not it would make sense to take over legal registries, or whether or not the claimant group would want to take over legal registries and that sort of thing. We are not there as political advocates for our own department. Others in Ottawa and this government's Cabinet have decided the extent to which perhaps justice, education, health and some of the other housing, these powers and responsibilities will be transferred to the claimant groups and not this particular department. The Member is correct to say we are involved in the negotiation, but we have not set or tried to set the political agenda.
Mr. Cooper on Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on February 18th, 1998. See this statement in context.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 18th, 1998
Page 915
Cooper
See context to find out what was said next.