Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand that this is managed by the Victims Assistance Committee and that they determine the allocation of funds. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Green, I would like to point out that your line of questions is on the next activity, and we will bring that out when we go through the detail. Right now, we are discussing the operations expenditure for services to government activity. Any further questions to this activity and the detail? Seeing none, I will call this page. On 291, Department of Justice, services to government, operations expenditure summary, $11,908,000. Does committee agree?

Agreed. Okay. We will move on to the next activity, starting on page 295. I will read this activity page out, and we will discuss the detail. Department of Justice, services to the public, operations expenditure summary, $4,249,000. We can now proceed on with the detail following that. Ms. Green, did you want to speak to this activity? Okay, Ms. Green, you've got the floor.

Thank you. Who is the Victims Assistance Committee accountable to? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Apparently, they are appointed by me.

Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Green.

It is fantastic that every day has an opportunity for learning. My question, then, is what kind of guidance the Minister is providing to this committee about the size of its surplus, in terms of whether it should keep growing, whether it should be spent, whether it should be diverted to the SPCA? What is the guidance being given here? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Sebert.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The committee that is appointed recommends disbursements from the fund to support community-based projects and activities. I understand that there is an annual report tabled. It is strange, I agree, to see a surplus, but I do see a list of worthy projects that they have proceeded with. Yes. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am wondering, where this is used for victims of crime, whether the Minister can guide the committee to spend down more of this surplus on the victims of crime? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is more project-based. For example, I see a list of projects that have been funded in 2018-2019. If I could just go briefly through some of them, the Native Women's Association of the NWT; supporting families who were victims of homicide, $30,800; Status of Women Council for the NWT; Family Violence Awareness Week, $21,750; Status of Women Council of the NWT, $15,000; International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women; Inuvik Justice Committee, $5,670; healthy relationships and consent school presentation. So those are the types of organizations that we have been funding. I see that was for the year funded-to-date 2018-2019, and there are similar projects and similar types of amounts that were funded in 2017-2018. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the detail, but it doesn't answer the question. The question is whether the Minister can direct more of this fund to be spent on the projects that may be eligible for funding. Can he direct that this surplus be made more available to victims-of-crime services through the NGOs? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Sebert.

Yes, certainly there is this large surplus, and perhaps we should be more active in encouraging the types of organizations that I referred to earlier to apply for funding. I think we do need to be more energetic in this area. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Sebert.

Thank you. It would be unusual to encourage people to spend down a surplus, but I think we do need to be more active and encourage them to bring forward projects that would be of the type that we should be funding, so I am committed to have our department become more active in this area because, clearly, there are surplus funds. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Sebert. Ms. Green.