Page 9-9, Justice, department summary, information item, revenue summary.

Page 9-10, Justice, department summary, information item, active position summary.

Page 9-13, Justice, activity summary, services to government, operations expenditure summary, $10.866 million.

Page 9-14, Justice, activity summary, services to government, grants and contributions, grants, $49,000. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a short question here. The Aboriginal Court Challenges, has that been a good uptake? Are we getting a good uptake on that program? If not, why? Is it because it’s too difficult or there are too many roadblocks in place? I know there are some people who were really interested in it but they said it was just difficult obtaining that kind of funding. I’m not too sure if that’s true or not.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Ms. Schofield.

Thank you, Ms. Schofield. I’ve heard his own people come and talk to me and say that’s quite difficult, that the process is long or bureaucratic just to help out. I don’t know. I’m not going to be the one to make a judgment on this here. I’m glad it’s here and I look forward to maybe if the Minister could get me some information on this program and then I could bring it back to my region.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. There are some very specific criteria. I am happy to share that information with Mr. Yakeleya. If once looking at that we can see if there’s any way to make sure that it’s easier for people to understand, we’ll absolutely work with you, but there are some pretty specific criteria. Thank you.

Any further questions? Activity summary, justice, services to government, grants and contributions, grants, $49,000.

Page 9-15, information item, services to government, Justice, active positions. Questions? Page 9-17, Justice, activity summary, law enforcement, operations expenditure summary, $39.469 million. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is probably a question where, really, the dollars are starting to hit the road here on this budget where we see probably the largest increase. Can we get, maybe, a little bit of a breakdown as to what comprised that large increase of the $39.469 million? If they can just break that down a little bit in the proper categories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is absolutely correct. This is probably the area where the department saw its greatest growth. A number of the items are forced growth: radio replacements, $105,000; RCMP contract renewal, $2.8 million; isolated post and government housing allowance, $328,000; Commissioner’s contracts, $312,000; police reporting operations, $33,000; operational readiness and availability, $245,000; aviation fuel, $72,000; RCMP compensation and benefits, $207,000; and then some strategic initiatives from the RCMP, $137,000 for the family violence coordinator and $110,000 for the Mackenzie Gas Project.

Thanks to the Minister for the breakdown. One of the things that we did not talk about in the opening comments or in the exchange was RCMP complaints, especially in small communities, and how are they handled. I guess I’ll pose that question first here for the Minister. Is there a methodology used and, if so, what is it? Thank you.

I’m going to go to Ms. Schofield for some specifics on that, but I believe that there is a process, yes.

Thank you. Ms. Schofield.

I appreciate the response. From a Member’s perspective, being able to measure effectiveness or efficiency of any organization is vital. With this complaint process, the Members here on this side are at a bit of a disadvantage. We don’t have any measurable reporting on complaints. Would the Minister commit to looking at that as part of the future process? As we go through the business planning process, that that could be

provided in terms of providing a better wholesome view of the RCMP services that we receive.