Thank you for that clarification, Mr. Minister. On wildness camps, Mr. Chair, I worked closely with the previous Minister on the efforts to have wilderness camps in our region, certainly taking a lot of effort on both the Justice department and also on the Sahtu operator to make a successful wilderness camp from both perspectives here. Mr. Chair, the Minister said they’re going to review, look at it. Is this something that is going to be entrenched in the Northwest Territories justice system as a way to look at alternative corrections to reintegrate people back into the communities?

: Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I think we have initiated that already, where we provide on-the-land program for the correction inmates. Although there may be three areas of delivering in the regions, I think that’s a good start. We’re hoping to have more camps in other regions so we cover off all regions. That’s the overall plan, a part of our long-term goals.

I believe this is part of an alternative justice on-the-land program, so I think it captures that as well as alternative measures. Mahsi.

Mr. Chair, one of the issues that I have had some discussions with the elders in the Sahtu, especially some of the elders up in Colville Lake when we had some of our meetings there, that they wanted to look at alternative methods to aboriginal justice corrections in our region here. Certainly these camps here, I think what the department has to offer in terms of moving in this direction is commendable, but also a trailblazer in that area. I think it’s long overdue.

The elders would definitely like to see a bigger role in these types of camps, yet the system is still stuck on having facilities and certain policies that support these facilities. So I think that wilderness camps, as the elders say, would be the way to go. However, this is a good start. But it’s very, very little to what can really be offered.

So I would ask the Minister of Justice how committed and serious is his department and this Cabinet in terms of looking at coming full force with dealing with the aboriginal justice issues in the

North? In our region, most of my people, or 80 percent, are aboriginal people, in terms of the ratio of aboriginal versus non-aboriginal in the Sahtu.

: Mahsi. Within our Department of Justice we take these into consideration very seriously. With the help of Charlie and Laura Tobac from the Sahtu region, they’ve done excellent work in this area; the elders that operated this camp. We’d like to fully utilize the elders in the regions, because they’re the experts on on-the-land programs. I do believe that as part of the aboriginal justice area, we’ve increased in this area where initially it was Fort Smith. Now we’ve added Sahtu, Tlicho and other communities down the road. Also, re-evaluating our Community Justice Program as well, and how we can strengthen that. So I think it goes hand in hand.

So we certainly are very interested in these areas and we are, as a department, serious also. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, it will be seen as to the urgency of the department. I do appreciate the Minister’s willingness to look at other regions; Tlicho. Mr. Krutko from the Mackenzie Delta stated that certainly Tl’oondih should be looked at again as a possibility. There’s another camp in Inuvik that should be looked at. I think the reason why I’m saying this, Mr. Chair, is that when the elders speak to you, they don’t speak to you for nothing. Some of the elders speak to you very clearly and you certainly know that when you listen to them, sometimes they go on and on, and sometimes you’re trying to catch the meaning of what they’re trying to say. Sometimes some of these elders talk to you very sternly when there are things they need to say to you. But they say it to you, they say it very firmly and they mean it very hard in the way that they’re speaking to you for a reason. I guess that’s why I’m saying these things here to the Minister, that these camps would be very beneficial.

I keep going back to Colville Lake where Mrs. Kochon, an elderly lady, wanted to have a bush camp in Colville Lake. She pleaded with me at Colville Lake, to see if the department could get a bush camp or a drug and alcohol camp out at Colville Lake. A very simple old lady that grew up on the land, knows the way of the land. She pleaded with me to say if it’s possible that they could have a camp like that in Colville Lake for her people in prevention. That was about four or five years ago. Today we still haven’t seen anything.

I know the Minister is working hard to get this in other regions. That’s why when you look at 14-4-2 -- 14 and a half staff for four clients for $2 million, you try to figure out where is the priority. Certainly we’re not seeing it and it’s not being demonstrated in these communities here. That’s why I’m asking

the Minister how serious is he and his department in looking at alternative ways, people like in Colville Lake with Mr. Kochon can say yes, we will do something. However, policies, regulations all fall to a different way of doing justice. That’s a justice that’s been in here that needs to be looked at. That’s all I’m saying on behalf of my people, Mr. Chair. That’s why I asked the Minister how seriously is his department looking at justice like the wilderness camps?

I do commend this department, the previous Minister and this Minister, for putting their necks on the line for programs like this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. No question; more of a comment. We’re on page 9-28, community justice and corrections, activity summary, grants and contributions, contributions, $2.061 million.

We’re on page 9-29, which is just an information item. Community justice and corrections, active positions. Agreed?

Moving along to page 9-31, services to the public, activity summary, operations expenditure. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under this activity it notes the rentals office, and I did have a couple questions about the rentals office. Would the Minister be able to inform the House, does the rentals officer get a lot of complaints regarding rental increases? And if so, what does the rental officer do with those complaints in that process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Lafferty.

: Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I don’t have the stats with us right now. Any results that come in, whether it be on a rental of office whether there will be an increase or not, usually it’s dealt with immediately. But certainly, if we have the stats on the office, we can certainly provide that. Mahsi.

Thank you. I understand that the rentals office also is sort of the overseer of the Rentals and Tenancy Act. I’m just curious on when the last time that was updated through this office, and has the rental officer provided any updates through this process or do they have any employees that work under that office that assist with those type of problems that rental tenants may come forward with from time to time to address their concerns and needs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Lafferty.

---Interjection

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Bronwyn Watters.

Thank you, Ms. Watters. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you for that. Has that act made it, although I’m not a Social Programs committee member, has that act in an updated form been presented to the Social Programs committee for review or is it still being worked on in the policy shop?

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. My understanding is it hasn’t been presented yet with any additions or amendments. Certainly that will be forthcoming.

Just one last question and then I’ll save the rest for the floor of the House for question period. In this particular case, when can I expect, from a Regular Member’s point of view, to see the legislative proposal through the department? Does he have a time frame on this?

I don’t have the detailed timing of it, but we can certainly get back to the Members on the timing of that, because we will be before the Standing Committee on Social Programs. So we’ll provide that information.

I just want to make sure, although the Minister knows this, but of course I want to say it for the record. Because I don’t sit on the Social Programs committee, would the Minister be willing to forward me a draft copy of the updates when it reaches that period that it can be sent to Social Programs? I just want to make sure that I’m included in the loop. Perhaps at the same time I can get some information on the other additional questions I had asked.