Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, it's a current year project that we are working on. Some of the money if not spent will be carried over, but we are sitting down to meet with the Folk on the Rocks organization, working with the Department of Transportation and the City of Yellowknife. We think obviously that we have a viable project there and we will continue to work on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Just one more time for the record, total department, infrastructure acquisition plan, $1.810 million.

Thank you, committee. Does the committee agree that the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment main estimates have been concluded?

Thank you, committee. I'd like to thank you, Minister Bell, Mr. Vician and Ms. Magrum, for being with us late into this evening. Thank you.

What is the wish of committee? Mr. Lafferty.

I move to report progress, please.

Thank you. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Lafferty.

Mr. Chair, I move to report progress.

Mahsi. The motion is in order. The motion is not debatable. All those in favour? Those opposed? Thank you. The motion is carried.

---Carried

I'll now rise and report progress.

---Applause

Thank you, committee. The motion is in order. The motion is not debatable. I'll take another tally on the number of votes. Those in favour of reporting progress, please raise your hand. Those opposed? The motion is defeated.

---Defeated

---Laughter

What is the wish of committee? Thank you, committee. We'll now proceed with Justice. Thank you, committee. I'd now like to ask the Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell, if he'd like to provide the opening comments on the departmental estimates. Mr. Bell.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to present to the Department of Justice' main estimates for the fiscal year 2007-2008.

The main estimates propose a department operations and maintenance budget for 2007-08 of $88441 million and capital funding of $618,000. The O and M budget is in an increase of 5.5 percent over the '06-07 main estimates. Mr. Chairman, this consists primarily of additional costs of policing in communities, community justice and the Collective Agreement.

The department has six main areas of activity:

• • Services to government: The department provides a range of legal services to the government. Staff lawyers draft legislation and provide legal advice to all Ministers, departments and many public agencies. Legal translators prepare the French versions of bills and regulations, as well as public materials with legal considerations. Also included in the $8.8 million budgeted for services to government are functions such as planning for the effects of resource development, improving supports to families in conflict and providing public information.
• • Law enforcement: Policing services are contracted to the RCMP, and one of the government's major priorities is to enhance policing in smaller communities. This summer, a new detachment will be created in Sachs Harbour...

---Applause

• • and the GNWT's share of the cost is $428,000. The department and RCMP work closely to develop new ways to address community needs. In total, Mr. Chairman, $27 million has been budgeted for law enforcement activities.
• • Legal aid services: The Legal Services Board is responsible for providing legal services to those NWT residents who cannot afford a lawyer, primarily for those facing criminal charges or experiencing family break-ups. There are three legal aid clinics in Yellowknife and Inuvik. The Legal Services Board also delivers the public legal education and court worker programs. All together, Mr. Chairman, the department has budgeted $4.6 million for legal aid services. This includes estimated federal contributions that will not be certain until the federal budget is released on March 19. It also includes $223,000 to pay for an increase to the tariff paid to lawyers in the private bar who take on legal aid cases.
• • Courts: The department provides funding and administrative support to the NWT courts. The total budget of $8.7 million is for the Justice of the Peace Court Program, Territorial Court, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, court libraries, court reporters, and the three court registries. This budget includes more money to cover justice of the peace training and the increase in circuit travel to hold court in communities.
• • Community justice and corrections: The department has budgeted $35 million for adult and young offender facilities, probation, wilderness camps, and cultural programs to support the rehabilitation of offenders. During the coming year, priority will be placed on reintegration, wilderness camps and programs within facilities. This money also funds programs aimed at preventing crime within communities through increased community participation that support victims' initiatives and that support community justice needs. Most of the department's collective bargaining increase related to this core function. There has also been a forced growth increase of $475,000 to cover rising operational costs. The budget, Mr. Chairman, also includes an increase of $680,000 to enhance community justice activities. This will provide additional support for community justice committees and victim services organizations, which provide direct services at the community level.
• • Services to the public: Just over $4 million budgeted for services to the public includes funding for the coroner's office, the public trustee, the rental office, legal registries, and the Maintenance Enforcement Program.

Mr. Chairman, the infrastructure acquisition plan includes $280,000 in capital costs related to electronic system upgrades at legal registries to improve service to the public.

Those are the key points and highlights of the 2007-2008 Department of Justice main estimates. I look forward to answering any questions you may have. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you very much, Minister Bell. I'd like to now ask the Standing Committee on Social Programs for their report on the Department of Justice main estimates, Ms. Lee.

Introduction

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the committee met with the Minister and his officials on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, to review the draft business plan of the Department of Justice.

Members considered the draft main estimates, including the changes to the budget of the Department of Justice since the committee reviewed the business plan in September, on January 16, 2007.

The committee noted expenditures of $88.441 million for operations expense and $618,000 to be spent on capital projects for the fiscal year 2007-2008.

Committee members offer the following comments on issues arising out of the review of the 2007-2008 budget-planning cycle.

Pre-Budget Consultations

This year's pre-budget consultation focused on the cost of living and consequently there were not as many comments received as last year on the state of justice programs in the NWT. Many residents and NGOs did comment on the inadequacy of funding for community justice programs. This issue will be discussed later in the committee's report.

Mr. Chair, I would now ask Mr. Yakeleya to continue. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Please continue, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The standing committee was very pleased to see that the department has secured funding for a full-time RCMP detachment in Sachs Harbour. The sheer distance and frequent adverse weather conditions make it imperative to have RCMP stationed in Sachs Harbour on a permanent basis.

However, there are other communities in the NWT that can only be reached by air during most of the year that require a full-time RCMP presence. Gameti and Colville Lake are two of the most isolated communities without a permanent detachment.

The committee encourages the department to work with the RCMP to come up with a timetable to introduce full-time detachments to the communities of Colville Lake and Gameti.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi. Mr. Chair, during the last two pre-budget consultations, we heard that more funding should be directed to the local justice committees. Over the last couple of business planning cycles, the Standing Committee on Social Programs has made recommendations calling for increased funding for the operation of community justice committees and for paying the community justice coordinators.

Committee members are pleased the department has finally come through with additional funding for the Community Justice Program. Ten thousand dollars for each community justice committee will be phased in over the next three years to increase pay for community justice coordinators. Per-capita funding for each community justice committee will also be increased by 10 percent. Finally, an NWT programs/project coordinator position will be established to provide administrative support and advice to the community agencies who wish to develop goals, objectives, accountability frameworks and program evaluation.

Funding will also be increased for victim services, with a $25,000 increase for each of the existing five programs to $75,000 per year, and $75,000 will also be available for new victim services in one community each in the Tlicho and Deh Cho. A regional victim services assistant position will be established to assist community-based agencies in delivering victim service levels equivalent to those of community justice and police services in the NWT.

Members of the committee were pleased with the department's focus on increasing funding and support for victim services and community justice committees at a local level.

Members will be consulting with constituents on the adequacy of this new focus and may include it in the transition document to the next Assembly.

Mr. Chair, at this time I'd like to turn it over to Mr. Braden. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. During the life of this Assembly, there have been several initiatives to improve the delivery of legal aid in the NWT. The addition of several staff lawyers and the opening of a new Family Law Clinic in Yellowknife are two examples.

However, it is clear that without the support of private practice lawyers in shouldering a share of the caseload, the legal aid system in the NWT cannot be sustained through the use of staff lawyers.

Committee members regularly hear from constituents eligible for legal aid of delays in obtaining legal representation, especially in civil matters relating to family law.

The department has incorporated a 15 percent increase for the legal aid tariff rates that should hopefully encourage private practice lawyers to take on more legal aid cases.

This issue will be mentioned in the transition document, so that the next Assembly can track this initiative's success or failure.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes the committee's report on the Department of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, at this time I move to report progress.