Thank you, Member. Minister.
Debates of March 3rd, 2022
This is page numbers 3711 - 3754 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was know.
Topics
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3744
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3744
R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. There's one position being added. It is a data coordinator, and it has to do with -- perhaps I can just ask the deputy minister to explain it because it's a technical position. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3744
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3744
Doolittle
Mahsi, Madam Chair. If I could just have a moment to sort through my papers.
Yes, so this is involving electronic disclosure resources. During the pandemic, the PPSC, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, implemented a permanent procedure by which their staff now transfer virtually all disclosure for court evidence to the Legal Aid Commission electronically, and this has markedly increased the workload of the Legal Aid Commission staff and is causing significant operational disruption.
They're not set up to receive disclosure electronically both in system requirements and staff resources. Disclosure items include audio files, video, paper records, pictures, and its volume is thousands of individual documents and files. And lawyers also travel on circuit and need to have files readily accessible to both staff lawyers and non-GNWT private bar lawyers who are assigned files. So this position will help receive that and sort and take care of that, those new disclosure -- electronic disclosure files. Mahsi, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe right now, according to my count, there's four lawyers in the territory who don't live in Yellowknife and one of them is a Member of this House.
Have we looked into -- I know we have some positions that work for legal aid in the communities. None of them are lawyers. Have we looked into the feasibility of moving one of the legal aid clinics outside of Yellowknife? I'm a believer that access to justice requires lawyers in places even, you know, just to have someone to talk to in a community. And is that something that the department has reviewed? Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. I believe so. I know I asked the same question in the last Assembly. So I can ask the deputy minister to speak to that a little bit. Thanks.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Doolittle
Mahsi, Madam Chair. This is something that the department does look at and consider. We do have the clinics here located in Yellowknife and they're set up that way so they can operate -- have clients represented in each clinic that might be opposing each other. So it is something we look at. The lawyers also need to have colleagues available to talk to them, to discuss ideas, and the court also is set up largely in Yellowknife. They do do circuit courts but having those clinics in the communities, we have had that in the past. There's been one in Inuvik, and the legal aid was moved out of the community. The PPSC, Prosecution Canada, was moved out of the community so it was very difficult to have lawyers -- legal aid lawyers remain in those communities. The private bar is very small in these communities as well so it is difficult for lawyers to remain there and not have the colleagues to bounce ideas off or talk to. But with a move towards, you know, virtual technology, this is something that perhaps that can be considered in the future. But we are having a very tough time recruiting and retaining lawyers in our department, not just legal but our drafters, our legal division counsel, and recruiting them into smaller communities is difficult, to be honest. So we are struggling even just to get these folks to move to Yellowknife or to stay in Yellowknife let alone the smaller communities, so. But it is on our radar and we are looking at ways to be creative and innovative in trying to attract counsel, both government and private bar members, to Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, I recognize it would probably take some concerted effort and, you know, I know we lost -- we've really been losing our courthouses outside of Yellowknife, and the one in Hay River is really not doing what it used to let alone Inuvik. So I think it would take a very concerted effort by the Department of Justice.
I'm just curious, we have a remote work policy now and there's a possibility for people in Yellowknife to work outside. And, you know, I suspect there is actually probably a few lawyers in the territory who would be willing to relocate to a community for a period of time and maybe even on the side, do some other practice, you know, that is much needed in those communities. Does the remote work policy apply to government lawyers; would they be able to leave Yellowknife? Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. I don't have the expertise with the remote work policy to answer that. I mean, I can see if the deputy minister knows, understanding that that policy might not be fully fleshed out yet. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3745
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
Doolittle
Mahsi, Madam Chair. And, yes, it does apply. Lawyers are positions that certainly could work remotely and in our -- I think we would be a happy to have them in any of our 33 communities. And there currently is an application for somebody to work remotely, not in a community but in the city of Yellowknife as well. So this would be something that would totally apply and we would be open to considering. Mahsi, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi
Okay, according to, like -- according to the GNWT health status report, it says in there that my region has the highest crime rate, and we only have active position. Why is that, when the report -- when your own report -- GNWT report says we have the highest crime rate for Tlicho region? Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you, Madam Chair. We can get to later sections in here and the Tlicho will be receiving a number of RCMP positions, and in the past we've added a number of RCMP positions there as well. So we are adding positions, and we have added positions during my time here to that region. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3746
The Chair Lesa Semmler
Okay, thank you. Are there any further questions from Members?
All right, seeing none. Justice, legal aid services, operations expenditure summary, 2022-2023 Main Estimates, $7,145,000. Does committee agree?