Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, first of all, the Wrigley detachment, this has been in the works for the last couple of years now and it’s still there. We’re still committed. I’m glad that the MP is doing part of the job representing the Northwest Territories at the federal level. We continue to do that continuously every time we meet at the federal/provincial/territorial Ministers meeting. Wrigley and Gameti have always been addressed at every meeting that we’ve gone to. So we’ll continue to do that.
Mr. Chair, we have a joint discussion that’s ongoing with the Housing Corporation and also the RCMP, because we have to deal with the infrastructure. So it is in the works. It’s just supposed to be scheduled for next year, 2001. So right now we’re having more discussion with the new guy that’s coming on stream, Mr. Blake, the commanding officer, who has started today. So I will be sitting down with him again. I already met with him before he started his new role. Mr. Chair, it’s not being ignored. Those particular two detachments are high priority on our target list, so we’ll continue to push that.
Just on another area where direction where corrections and aboriginal employees, yes, Mr. Ramsay has raised this issue in the House. It is of importance to our department to promote more aboriginals in the system. We are developing a plan of action in that respect and so we certainly want to see more aboriginal people move up within the system. I agree with Mr. Ramsay that these individuals that are in the system should be fostered and nurtured and trained to move up in the development stages. That should be the case and that’s the area that we need to seriously look at across the board. It’s not just our Justice department, but HR also has a strategy in place, as well, for all departments.
Yes, the aging infrastructure, potentially a penitentiary institution. We haven’t really raised that issue at the federal level as of yet because we were dealing with the courthouse a while back and we had to set our priorities. What’s more important,
that should be before us. The way things are going there are all these different activities that are playing before us. But at the same time, Mr. Chair, we are not closing the door on the courthouse. It’s still there. It’s just that we haven’t been really focused in that area because there are all these community programs that are happening. If we need to go that avenue, then I need to get support from the Regular Members on what is our top priority. So those are areas of discussion we need to continuously have here in the House.
Mr. Chair, the chief coroner reappointment has been in the works for quite some time and finally it’s coming into play. We are making progress in that area.
Of course, increasing policing, we’ve heard over and over from small communities that they want an increased presence of RCMP. So with this new commanding officer we’re also pushing for more presence, as Mr. Menicoche alluded to and Mr. Krutko in the past. Increased presence of RCMP in the community makes a big difference. So those are the areas that we need to strengthen with the new commanding officer, and we’ll continue to make a lot of noise in that area.
Yes, the Not Us! campaign, there is an evaluation built into that. So we’ll be coming back to the standing committee as we make progress, what we’ve learned, is it’s working. The same with the other, whether it be the separation program, the family violence, the mediation, all these different programs that we do have, there are evaluations attached to them as well. I agree with Ms. Bisaro that we need to come back and re-look at the whole picture six months, a year down the road, if we need to invest more or if it’s not working should we look at other areas.
Then, finally, the ombudsman. Yes, it’s been brought in this House, as well. Mr. Chair, all I can say at this point is I’ll continue to work with my colleague and the Executive. This is an area that if it’s high importance by Regular Members, as you know, there are cost factors to it. So those are areas that we can certainly explore. At this point we’re at the discussion stages with this new office that has been talked about. I think that’s the overall discussion. Mahsi.