This is page numbers 927 - 958 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was community.

Topics

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

Page 949

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Madam Chairperson, I will have to check my information but I thought Holman Island was represented by the Inuvik board.

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Arlooktoo.

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

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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Madam Chairperson, I just looked on the wrong list. The Member is correct. It would be the Mackenzie Delta legal services committee. Sorry about that.

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Steen.

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

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Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. The department is saying that if the community has concerns they should be addressing them through the boards as far as legal aid services in the community goes? Is that correct? The department is supplying the Inuvik Beaufort Delta board with funds to service Holman Island?

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Arlooktoo.

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

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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. That is essentially correct. The community would have to deal with the Mackenzie Delta legal services committee. I understand that has happened recently. There have been discussions with their executive director. How far along it is, I do not know, but there has been some effort made in that area.

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Steen.

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

Page 949

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I appreciate the information the Minister gave me on that. I would appreciate being kept informed as to the progress on that particular concern expressed by Holman Island.

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Arlooktoo.

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

Page 949

Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. It is important to get the information out on whom people should contact because that is very basic information people should know about. A comment on additional services, I know that the community should be given some basic services and does. The legal services board is a board that has also received significant reductions with its budget and is struggling with its budget. Even though I say for extra services you should contact this organization, I do not want to give the impression that once you do that, there will be that extra service. Thank you.

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Arlooktoo. Mr. Steen.

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

Page 949

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I presume, in the division, there is going to be some thought that the particular services to Holman Island come out of one specific region. I asked the question earlier if police services should come out of Inuvik rather than the Kitikmeot. It seems the departments have inconsistent services to this particular community. Sometimes they are serviced out of the Kitikmeot and in this particular case, the Mackenzie Delta legal services committee. I do not understand why it is coming out of all over the place, different regions.

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Arlooktoo.

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

Page 949

Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I agree with the Member that these are questions that need to be addressed and it is not just with the legal services board, there are other government services. The community of Holman Island, because of its location, its proximity to the Nunavut/western Arctic border and the fact that traditionally in some areas of government, they have received services from both the Kitikmeot region and the Inuvik region; these are issues that are not yet finalized. In my other responsibility with division transition planning, I can commit to working with the Member to make sure these questions are answered and the community does know what direction it is going. Thank you.

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

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The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Arlooktoo. Legal services board, operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $4.852 million. Agreed?

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

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

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

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The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you. Lawyer support services, operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $2.272 million. Mr. Henry.

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

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Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I have some questions within this activity and I will be introducing a motion that was discussed yesterday. Within the lawyer support services, can the department advise as to how many outstanding lawsuits there are against the GNWT?

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

Page 949

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Mr. Arlooktoo.

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

Page 949

Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. We do not have the answer to that and that is not to suggest there is a whole bunch and we need to count them. We cannot

even say for sure right now if there are any that are presently before the courts.

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

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The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Arlooktoo. Mr. Henry.

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

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Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Do I assume then, if the Minister does not know if there are any outstanding cases, he probably could not tell me how much money, if any, that cost last year? I will ask the Minister, then, when would he be able to make that information available to the committee? Thank you, Madam Chairperson.

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

Page 950

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Mr. Arlooktoo.

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

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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. The first question of how many, if any, lawsuits there are against the GNWT, that information would be readily available and we could give that number as soon as possible. The other information, the historical data on how much we have spent defending the GNWT on lawsuits against it, that would take some time, probably a few weeks.