Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government is doing a number of things regarding strengthening a number of acts. The development of a Human Rights Act...currently, this government has a Fair Practices Act which has very little teeth to it. As a result, we are paying a lot of dollars to go and see the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
I did inform the Members at the Fort Providence workshop that this department is going ahead in developing a Human Rights Act to replace the Fair Practices Act. We are proceeding with the development of a consultation paper and draft legislation regarding a new Human Rights Act.
In regards to labour standards, the Labour Standards Act is seriously outdated and in need of a major overhaul. The Department of Justice is reviewing this act now. We have contracted this out. We expect to have a report of an internal review of this act by March 31, 2000. Following this internal review, the department will prepare a proposal on a public consultation to be considered by Cabinet. If that process is successful, we will follow it by preparation of a legislative proposal.
Regarding zero tolerance, the previous Legislative Assembly has dealt with it. I believe there was a motion in the House a few years ago which was passed, whereby Members of the Assembly expressed the position of the people on the issue of violence against women and children, and also that there was an amendment in the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act at that time which provided for the disqualification of Members of this House if convicted of sexual offences, exploitation of children, and so forth. That is what we have in the Legislative Assembly. We, as a department, have not really looked at it, or at least I am not aware we have. I should ask the department if we have seriously considered it. As of now, we have no intentions of moving forward with the zero tolerance to violence.
I just want to add that the federal government has a tolerance policy that sees that the police press charges in the case. It is actually out of our hands in that case, as the crown prosecutors do the prosecution in this matter. We just give advice, and sometimes this advice is not taken.
There is a standing motion of the previous Legislative Assembly that expresses a strong concern about zero tolerance to violence. Thank you.