I would not say it is historically. This has only been going on for a few years. We work very closely with all the energy companies and the food companies in the region to make sure the supplies are in in a timely manner and updating them on the closure coming this fall year on the ferry services, and we will continue to work closely with industry and the residents in the area on the ferry closure.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the closing of the ferry services during the winter was sort of to cut down on the budgeting here, and we are in the last two years of our mandate and our term. There is supposed to be a lot of spending going on, so will the Minister explain why he is still going ahead with his reduction plan?

If I remember correctly, this was passed in the House as part of our budget of last year. The Member is well aware that the winter ferry operations were put into place to help sustain the energy crisis that was possible with the Ikhil well. It's been proven now that this is not the case. Suppliers of energy, particularly propane, have been put into place to mitigate any possible shortage of this. We will continue on with what we promised to do in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Bauer was hired as a consultant to assist ITI with pre-scoping interviews and benchmarking exercise for the Mineral Resource Act. That was done prior to us coming out with the Mineral Resource Act. Based on what we have heard from public engagement, the department decided to release its report. I think what it does is provide background information to add a more detailed discussion, was the request, and that's why we have put this report out there.

The nice thing about this report is it gives us a critical view of the current situation around the Mineral Resource Act in the Northwest Territories. One thing that I must say is that the report is based on his viewpoint, but I think it gives us a clear view of what can be changed and what should be changed in a Mineral Resource Act moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for that, but I didn't actually get an answer about when it was completed. It is just very curious that they would hold on to this study until after all of the public engagement meetings were finished. As the government's discussion paper on the Mineral Resources Act is actually devoid of any presentation of alternatives, options, analysis, or even recommendations for change, it is very curious how this study on NWT mineral sector was released so late in the public engagement process.

Can the Minister tell us what studies or reviews his department has prepared for the Mineral Resources Act, and if those will be released as part of the public engagement processes?

The only other things that we have going on around the Mineral Resource Act is a comprehensive research on policy, jurisdictional scans, and best practices. That will assist in the development of the Mineral Resource Act moving forward.

Thanks to the Minister for that. This other work that is being done, why is it not being released now so that we can actually a meaningful and engaged public discussion about this? Holding onto this until after the public engagement meetings are already done, that just doesn't seem to make any sense. It is very important to properly research alternatives and options, present them to the public for an informed and meaningful input in order to get the new Mineral Resources Act right.

Is the Minister prepared to release more of the department's internal work and extend the consultation on the new Mineral Resources Act to get it right and include the public?

I will have to have a check with the department on what we can all release here that is public information. I don't think we would have a problem with, you know, we are doing a jurisdictional scan of best practices across the country. That is open to everybody, but I am sure we have it all gathered up. We can share that with all people in the Northwest Territories.

The Mineral Resource Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation, I think, going forward in this Legislative Assembly, as it drives the biggest part of our economy, and we want to make sure we get it right. We have been out to all of the regional centres to hear what they have had to say. We have a comprehensive online survey that everyone can participate in the Northwest Territories. Those of us in the House who haven't had a look at it, I suggest that you go to the website and have a look at it. It is a very good process to put in to have what you have to say about it. We will continue to do that to try to make this the best Mineral Resource Act for the residents of the Northwest Territories.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister for that. Well, we will agree that it is important to get it right, but without having any information out there, how can we have a meaningful and informed debate around this and for the public to meaningfully engage in it?

There is obviously a lot of work that needs to be done to improve our "paltry corporate income taxes" from the mining sector and our world's "most charitable fiscal regime" for the mining sector. Those are quotes from the Bauer study. There are no options, modeling, or analysis on this important issue and any of the materials put forward to date by the department. When does the Minister intend to make such information public? How will the public be engaged and how can he possibly meet the ambitious schedule of having a new Mineral Resources Act for this House in 2018? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. There have been several questions there, so I will allow the Minister to answer all of them or one of them. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to address the Member's question. He is concerned about consultation and how we are reaching out. As we said, we are going out there. We are going to put out a document on what we have heard. I think we are actually going to do the key elements paper outlining the policy potential changes that could be out there. We are also probably going to go out, I imagine, for a second round of input. There is going to be a lot of time for people to have their say in this. Like I said, we need to get this right, and it is one of the more important ones that we need to do in this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also have questions for the Minister of Justice about corrections. I always say that we need to strive to be world-class in the territory, and the Minister's interest in the Guthrie House offers an opportunity to do just that. Guthrie House is based on a shift in traditional thinking, a shift from seeing correctional centres as a place to house inmates and instead seeing them as a place where we can help these inmates address their issues and ensure that they don't return to the prison system. I would like to first ask the Minister if he could just please describe to us what Guthrie House is. Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Guthrie House is a therapeutic community located on the grounds of the Nanaimo Correctional Centre in Nanaimo, British Columbia. That is a medium-security custody facility. It is a provincial institution, so I assume that it deals with inmates doing less than two years. Guthrie House is separate from the main jail, so the prisoners, who are called residents, actually, should they be accepted into the program, stay within that portion of the institution. They don't mix with the other prisoners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will add that it is not a jail where people go and do programs. The whole system is a program. It builds up people's confidence and helps them deal with the issues that led them there. It is more of a way of life than a simple program. What prompted the Minister's visit to Guthrie House?

The various issues that have been raised this afternoon by the Member. We have grave concerns about recidivism, and it is also well known that many of the inmates in our facility have some substance abuse issues. The type of person who is admitted to the program at Guthrie House has to be highly motivated, but they are medium- to high-risk offenders with documented substance abuse issues in the moderate to severe range. As the Member opposite mentioned, it is quite separate from the main facility and is filled. I had the opportunity to meet with senior staff there. Several staff came with me from the Northwest Territories. We were very impressed by the very high motivation by those in the program.

I know we can find a lot of motivated people here as well. No one likes staying in remand at NSCC; it is not a pleasant place for anyone to be. Given that, does it appear that this is a viable model to use in the territory even if we have to adapt it somewhat?

We think so, Mr. Speaker. We formed a committee with departmental officials to explore this option further. The committee will look into the program model and consider how it could be adapted to fit the context of the Northwest Territories, including changes to infrastructure, changes, or supports. According to all reports, the amount of recidivism of residents who complete this program is far less than the normal population, so we certainly do want to look at this program and see how we might be able to adapt it to the Northwest Territories, where clearly something is needed.