Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to announce the start of our fourth annual Elder Wilderness Camp Project for adult male offenders from the Sahtu.

This program runs for six weeks each winter. It is a specialty program that returns inmates to their home regions to participate in a camp with local elders. They learn from their own elders in a traditional setting close to home. Last year, the team of elders and department staff were honoured with a Premier’s Collaboration Award. It is truly an example of working together to benefit the entire community.

Charlie and Laura Tobac and Angus Shae are the elders in charge of this program. They provide regular one-on-one counseling to offenders and teach them traditional skills they may never have learned. The direct connection with elders from their own regions also gives offenders the confidence to ask them for support in their communities once they leave the camp.

It is important to note, Mr. Speaker, that this is a specialty program, it may not be appropriate for everyone. Our full-time correctional camp at Kozo Lake is also available for minimum to medium-security adult male offenders who would benefit from this sort of program and are interested in participating. About seven offenders are there each day. They learn bush skills like trapping and fishing, and many of them come away with an improved

sense of who they are. It is an excellent program for reconnecting offenders with the land.

Mr. Speaker, these are not business opportunities. There are other GNWT programs that support outfitters and traditional hunters and trappers. These programs are developed to meet the needs of our inmates. It is not as simple as placing inmates at an existing camp. We have to design programs that meet their needs, and keep them in a camp that will provide appropriate security for the inmates, the staff and the public. Our corrections service has started work to develop other correctional wilderness programming that meets the needs of offenders. When people are in our custody, we have an obligation to provide programs that help them to stay out of trouble in the future. Our current programs are excellent for certain offenders, but they are not what others may need. That is why we are trying to develop land programs that will specifically deal with the needs of a larger group of offenders.

To address this effectively, a Land Program Development Committee has been established.

This committee, comprised of five aboriginal case managers and liaison officers, will initially develop program objectives and identify inmate needs that can be met in camp settings. Once that work is done, they will help operators develop appropriate programs and will monitor their implementation. This is an important initiative that will provide greater focus on a very important aspect of our corrections programming. I look forward to the results of their work, and will be pleased to report back to this Assembly on their progress.

The department also funds a range of community justice committee activities. Whereas correctional wilderness programs are just for sentenced offenders in custody, community justice committees have much more flexibility in the programming they offer. These programs are developed and implemented at the local level. The GNWT’s role is to provide financial, programming and training support. Every community is different, so the programs will not be the same from one region to another. But some of the most common activities are diversion programs and crime prevention programs.

In diversion, the committee accepts cases from the Crown and RCMP. These are minor cases, usually property crimes, and the offenders have agreed to plead guilty. The committee reviews these cases and comes up with a sentence that best fits the situation. In this context, on-the-land programming isn’t part of a sentence; it’s a way to reconnect youth with the land and encourage them to stay out of trouble in the future.

Crime prevention programs can be short or long; they can be at established camps or bush-style programs. The justice committee, interested residents and elders often participate in the development of these programs. I am always proud when communities take the initiative to deal with their own justice issues. Our crime rates are far too high. Mr. Speaker, we have to take responsibility for our own actions, and put programs in place that will work for us. It all comes down to community support, community planning, and community partnerships.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of these initiatives. They have been developed at the local level to address specific local needs. I would encourage all residents to become more involved in their local justice committees and the activities they run. That will ensure that our system truly represents the people it serves. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.