Brendan Bell

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My understanding is this is the current practice anyway. We are just making it official with this amendment.

No, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the model the Member is referring is certainly a good one. It is something we are reviewing. I know the RCMP is very much in favour of having as much community involvement as possible and I think that enables them to do a much better job. The closer they are able to work with this community and all communities across the North, obviously the more effective they are going to be. So this is a direction that we are continuing to move toward. I think policing is getting much more progressive, in my opinion, and I think there are a number of good initiatives...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the drug dog the Member is speaking of, a full-profile German Shepard dog trained in drug detection, has already been deployed in the Northwest Territories. The Member is correct; it is based in Yellowknife, but that dog will be used right across the entire territory. I believe that is currently already in place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, we have significant renewable and non-renewable energy resources, including an extensive potential in natural gas and hydroelectricity right in our backyard.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, through its newly created energy unit and working with other departments and agencies, is now leading the development of a GNWT energy plan to develop and secure access to its own future and alternate energy sources. Developing these resources will serve not only to reduce energy costs in our communities, but also to generate new...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s my understanding that when there are changes to the days and hours, they hold community hearings in order to do so. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I could just get the Member to restate the question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The purpose of Bill 6, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2005, is to amend various statutes of the Northwest Territories for which minor changes are proposed or errors or inconsistencies have been identified.

Each amendment included in the bill had to meet the following criteria:

it must not be controversial;

it must not involve the spending of public funds;

it must not prejudicially affect the rights of persons;

it must not create a new offence or subject a new class of persons to an existing offence.

Departments responsible for the various statutes being...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do have victims assistance committees that we felt needed additional help. We brought on new members. I believe there are two new members appointed to the Victims Assistance Committee, and I believe that’s the committee the Member is speaking of. Now we are up to full membership. There have been a few meetings and proposals put forward that will speak to additional funding through the victims assistance fund. I know there is an amount of money that’s available through that fund. I don’t have the number in front of me, but I know that money is being accessed. We are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member will recall, the G division of the RCMP provided this government, my department, with a business plan that speaks to the need for resources going forward and what they see as a shortfall in current resources. We are working very closely with them to try to address that. Of course, we have an upcoming budget session and we will have further discussions related to this, but I guess I can give my assurance that we are working closely with the RCMP to try to meet some of these staff and resources, not only in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, but right across the...