Thank you, Mr.

McLeod. Final

supplementary, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for that. I’m wondering if I can get the Minister to commit to providing the Members on this side of the House a summary and detailed breakdown of the Management Assignment Program: how many people are in it, by year; when the last intake was; and the budget that is allocated toward that program.

Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to do that.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Justice. It has to do with a bylaw officer and the RCMP and pepper spray and a graduating class in Fort McPherson.

Mr. Speaker, I received several phone calls this weekend in regard to an incident that occurred in Fort McPherson. The constituents were concerned in regard to the complaint process. Where do they go with their complaints in regard to filing complaints but, more importantly, investigating these types of incidents? Is there an open,

transparent process where the public, through an RCMP complaints commission, are looking at a review through the justice system? I did have an opportunity to meet with the Minister this morning on this matter. I’d like to ask if the Minister had an opportunity to look into exactly what processes are available to residents of Fort McPherson so that they can take a closer look at this situation, so it doesn’t happen again.

Thank you, Mr.

Krutko. The

honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr.

Speaker. I

appreciate the Member approaching me early, early this morning about this particular incident. From what he shared with me, it was an unfortunate incident that did occur. I did pass that on to my department, the Justice department. As you know, we have to work with the RCMP, G Division, that is responsible for the RCMP officers. On our part the Justice department is asking all kinds of questions through the RCMP, G Division, on what happened, what actually occurred. From what the Member has shared with me, if it’s matching the RCMP report when it comes in, I can certainly share with the Member at that time. I don’t have that detailed information as of yet, but it is forthcoming. Mahsi.

I’d also like to ask the Minister if he can keep the other community leaders involved by way of the mayor and the chief. Apparently, they are also involved in this process. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can also include them in regard to whatever his findings are and to keep the community informed on whatever comes out of this.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to have an open communication dialogue with my department and the community and the leadership at the community level. Certainly, I’ll commit to that. I’ll share what I can share from the department once I get fully briefed on this particular incident.

Mr. Speaker, as a Member who gets these types of phone calls, sometimes you wonder what avenues you have. I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly what do people do when they find themselves in a situation where they feel that their Charter rights have been violated, that they’ve been jailed without cause, and also that excessive force has been used? What’s the process that individuals have to be able to file a complaint? Basically, do they have a system or place they phone to talk to someone when these incidents come about?

We do have a process within our department and also within G Division of the RCMP. If there’s a complaint, there is a complaints commissioner, as the Member alluded to earlier, and also the Human Rights Commission.

It does deal with human rights as well. Those areas and also the contact numbers.... I can certainly provide that information to the Member and to the community that has gone through this process. I think it’s important to have those contact numbers available to all communities, as a matter of fact.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. Final

supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’d like to thank the Minister for his answer because I think it’s important that we do have some sort of a public process, that it’s out there, that people are aware of it. I’d like to ask the Minister: is there is a process where you can actually call for a public review — I don’t want to say inquiry — an open, transparent, public process where, basically, witnesses can be called, where statements can be taken? I think there are a lot of people who want to give statements on this matter, but there’s no process for that. I’d just like to know: is there such a process that people can go through?

I’ll certainly find out from my department, working with the G Division. I believe there was an incident in a community, in McPherson, and also there have been some witnesses. I’ll certainly find out from my department what kind of process we have in place to report these incidents and for, as the Member alluded to, the witnesses that want to come forward. I’m not too familiar with the detailed operations because G Division is arm’s length from us, the Department of Justice. I’ll commit today that I’ll bring that information forward once I get my hands on it.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr.

Speaker.

Certainly, the motion was brought forward to this House, and it was passed by this House, but with the circumstances that we’re faced with at Arctic Tern, we need to relook at the whole correction facility. We have Arctic Tern. We have women’s corrections, North Slave corrections, South Slave corrections, and River Ridge corrections. We need to relook at the whole picture. We have to deliver the most effective and efficient operation of correction services in the Northwest Territories.

We clearly deleted the planning money for the Territorial Women’s Correctional Facility out of the budget. Now, before this government decides to spend any money planning for that facility, will the Minister undertake in the House today.... Will he commit to us that no planning will take place until this review of available facilities and options is fully examined?

Those are areas we need to look at, as I stated earlier. Also, whatever we do, we’ll certainly go back to the committee if there are any changes. What we’ve gone through, the practice here.... There have been some recommendations to delete and also recommendations to add on. We need to consider those additions that were brought forward by the committee. There are changes, and we’ll certainly go back to the committee on that particular item.

So then, just to summarize and make sure we understand, no planning work.... No dollars will be expended toward the planning of a new territorial women’s correctional facility in Fort Smith until this work is done and the Standing Committee on Social Programs has been fully consulted.

The $320,000 planning stage has been taken out, so we’re kind of at a standstill right now, but if there are any changes, we will go back to the committee. I think it’s important to have the dialogue. If we’re going to have some changes, we need to notify the committee members.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. Final

supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also ask the Minister if he would have his department do a very serious analysis, as well, as to whether or not it is cost-effective to repatriate more high-security inmates from southern Canada. At the rate that we are paying for these inmates to be placed in southern Canada, would he make sure that there is a cost benefit to repatriating them in terms of the capital money we would have to expend for a higher security facility?