Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Related to this issue, may I just get some information as to what a number of young offenders would be that would be eligible for...Maybe I should ask first of all the question, what is the number of young offenders that we have in our system in the Northwest Territories? The second question is; what proportion of that would be eligible or be referred to community justice committees.

Ms. Kemeys-Jones.

Thank you, Ms. Kemeys-Jones. Ms. Lee.

Thank you. That's a big size of a number, 157 youth in the probation program and 17 youth in custody. We're looking at 174 youths in our system. I just want to, under a general comment, give and lend support to what Ms. Karen Hoeft has said in the presentations to the committee. I think there's definitely a need for us to look at why it is that we have so many youths being put into our correctional system. I think it's a common theme all over the Territories that there's a lack of facilities and programs for youth to be engaged in a productive way. I'll be just repeating statements that I've already said by many if I say that it is better for us to spend the money, care and attention to the youth while they're young and provide the support to them while they're going to school or provide life skills to the families to care for unborn children or even newborn children so that they are less vulnerable to getting into areas or lifestyles where they might end up getting in custody and get in touch with the law by violating it.

Does this legislation contemplate anything about a duty on the part of the government? I understand that this legislation is by and large to bring territorial legislation in line with the federal Young Offenders Act. In any legislation there's usually a purpose or intent in spirit of the legislation. Is there any movement to focus more on that side of youth support rather than concentrating on dealing with what happens and how the governments deal with them when they get into trouble with the law? Thank you.

Minister Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll ask Janice Laycock to respond to that.

Ms. Laycock.

At this time I'd like to acknowledge Major Karen Hoeft of the Salvation Army and also Ms. Wyman in the gallery. Welcome to the House.

---Applause

General comments. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't want to step out of the parameters of this legislation that we're dealing with, but we know Minister Allen is the Minister of Justice as well as youth. I'd like to hear from him about what he has done and whether or not he's introduced any programs or any policy initiatives in the business plan or in his time as Minister responsible for Youth to address the concerns that have been raised, in and out of this House, about the challenges and predicaments that our youth are facing at more increasing levels than I've ever heard.

In more serious situations, Mr. Chairman, I've had the opportunity to partake in some of the community discussions in the city of Yellowknife, for example, and of course I can't really speak directly about the needs that are out there in the communities. I leave that to the representatives here from outside of Yellowknife. However, in our city of Yellowknife we are really faced with growing problems and challenges that our youth are facing that we used to only think of as being the urban problems of big cities. But these problems are becoming more of a reality in our city.

We're seeing youths who are being introduced to really hard drugs and being introduced to them at a very young age. We're talking in elementary grade years. Grade 5 and up even. Even younger. These are the kind of drug problems that are absolutely unforgiving. It's not the kind if drug habit maybe was present before where young people could try different drugs and then they'd move on and get on with their lives. This is the kind of drug, crack or cocaine, that makes them immediately enter into criminal activities to feed their habit or to deal with their addiction.

There is a lack of treatment programs for youth, as has already been mentioned. I think it's really not addressing the issue adequately or anywhere near fully if we are only dealing with the issues of handling youth when they come into the correctional system, but not outside of it where they are vulnerable and they're open to exposure to that kind of problem.

I'd like to ask the Minister, himself, what he has done as the Minister responsible for Youth to address any of those areas. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Minister Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I was to speak outside the intent of this bill then I'm going to be speaking for a long time. So in recognition of the clock I'd like to say that my experience with young offenders goes back a long way, actually starting in 1986. So understanding the question very clearly, as the Minister responsible for Youth I have introduced and had received appropriations to support youth initiatives across the Northwest Territories and that did not exclude the young offenders program. I guess the most successful program we've supported in the last year-and-a-half was the youth trappers training program. That really took young offenders and other members of the community out into the wilderness setting to help them develop their life skills and other skills associated with their integration back into the community. So outside of those two main core areas, I can't speak for the level of support provided by H&SS or ECE, but certainly from my Ministerial responsibilities for youth, both through Justice and my other portfolio, I have certainly supported the various programs that were intended to help rehabilitate young offenders and other youth that have dropped out of school or are in need of additional assistance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. With that, I will rise and report progress, recognizing the clock.

The House will come back to order. May I have the report of Committee of the Whole. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Bill 26, Youth Justice Act, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Do we have a seconder for the motion? The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Question has been called. All those in favour? Thank you. All those opposed? Thank you. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Item 21, third reading of bills. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 20, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2003-2004, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. We have a motion. The motion is in order. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? Thank you. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 20 has had third reading. Item 21, third reading of bills. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nunakput, that Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Safety Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. We have a motion. The motion is in order.