Mr. Speaker, through their ability to motivate and serve as role models, many staff in the Department of Justice make a significant difference in the lives of people in the Northwest Territories.

In our 10-year strategic plan we made a commitment to our staff – and ultimately the public they serve – to build and maintain a strong foundation at the Department of Justice. The first step towards this goal is to create an effective human resources plan.

Our plan will build and support a northern workforce. To do this, we will make ongoing investments in our over 500 employees, many of whom work in high-risk environments. They work with offenders or support people in crisis or transition. Both front-line and management staff need to have appropriate training so they have the tools, resources and support to fulfill their duties while maintaining the safety and well-being of their clients, colleagues, themselves and the public.

Most Justice staff work in the corrections field in Hay River, Fort Smith and in the two facilities in the North Slave region. Our facilities operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our probation officers work in communities throughout the Northwest Territories. These corrections positions can be stressful and we see frequent turnover.

The department also has specialists in the legal field who represent the government in court, draft legislation, or help families and individuals in their legal issues. Our professional staff ensure courts have the support necessary to see justice served

throughout our system and perform the necessary functions to ensure the smooth running of government systems. Our people have great experience and extensive training; they are a talented collection of individuals.

To ensure we are listening to our staff in a manner that is both meaningful and effective, we offered each employee an opportunity to participate in focus groups on HR issues. Corrections staff participated one on one with an independent surveyor to answer questions about their training and working environment. To ensure replies were anonymous, all personal identifiers were removed. We are using all of this information to develop the human resources plan.

The results were interesting, Mr. Speaker. Employees trusted us enough to provide honest answers. We found the majority of our staff enjoy their jobs, their co-workers and the department as a whole. They feel their work is challenging and interesting. They were also clear about the work that needs to be done. Our management teams are preparing to address these issues.

We will plan for succession in management positions and operations that are vulnerable to staffing changes. As well, we will be refining the recruitment and training model used for corrections and courts to encourage NWT residents to consider joining us in a career in the justice field.

By strengthening our capacity and resiliency, we will maintain the strong foundation that allows us to provide change and gives innovation room to thrive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.