David Ramsay

That’s something I’ll have to go back to the department and ask them about. I’m not aware of any patents or copyrights on anything like that. That’s not to say that it may be worth something the department wants to look at, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not to my knowledge, I don’t believe that’s happened yet. I know the department has initiated some jewellery workshops across the territory, and we’re looking forward to doing more things like that.

The issue with beading and, of course, the beadwork here in the Northwest Territories is it’s probably some of the best in the world. If the Member has somebody in one of his communities in the Sahtu who’s interested in trying to put a program like that together, that’s something that we’d be interested in hearing about and helping support. Thank you.

Again, I will go back to the department. As far as an investigation goes, I believe there was a report just done by the Auditor General. It has 14 recommendations. We agree with all 14 recommendations. We are taking steps to make improvements in our corrections service, and we will continue on that path with our accountability framework.

I continue to work with the senior management at the department, the deputy minister. I take the concerns highlighted by the Auditor General’s report very seriously, and as Members know, I’ve been here for going into my 12th year. I’ve had questions in the past regarding the corrections service here in the Northwest Territories. It is my objective here to make things better, to action these recommendations, and I certainly am intent on doing just that.

As far as the Member’s questions and concerns, I will have that discussion with the deputy minister and we’ll take things from there. Thank you.

Thank you. Years ago I did work at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and I do know that they have some artifacts, RCMP artifacts. They had a nice RCMP display in the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre at the time. There also is an RCMP museum in Regina. So, I think it’s just going to be a case of us trying to put everything together, and if it’s talking to the folks at ECE and approaching the RCMP museum in Regina maybe to repatriate some of those artifacts back to the Northwest Territories, those conversations and actions will take place. Thank you.

The preservation of oral history, the gathering of artifacts, stories, photographs and mementos will flow from the work that is going to be done. Communities and elders will be engaged and they’ll be able to provide valuable insight into how we’re going to do this. As far as timeline goes, in early April the first team will be heading to Fort McPherson to start the interviewing process and record memories for generations to come to hear about those early days as part of a unique interactive display that we’re going to be putting together.

This committee is targeting Canada’s 150th Anniversary...

Obviously, we’d like to see a return to the very high prices for fur. The more money our trappers across the territory can earn from the sale of those furs goes directly back into the smaller communities and the local economy, so we’d like to see prices back where they were last year.

I certainly appreciate that there’s a story behind every piece of beadwork that we see, not just here in the House but across the territory, and we certainly respect that. We’ll continue to have a discussion. If there’s a therapeutic side to that type of work, that activity, then that’s something I’ll have a discussion with my colleagues at ECE and Health and Social Services. Thank you.

Yes, I can ask the staff at ITI about the concept. The other thing I’ll mention to the Member, if he has someone who can spearhead putting together a proposal, a plan at the community level and advancing that to the regional office in Norman Wells, then we can take things from there. But I will commit to go back to the department and ask them their thoughts on this issue. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice is committed to this Assembly’s goals of healthy, educated people and vibrant, safe communities. We contribute to achieving these goals by offering a range of programs and services that give individuals the tools and support they need to address the challenges and poor choices that often result in criminal charges and incarceration. As with any organization, we are always looking for ways, big and small, to improve our programs and services to better help people make healthy choices. Given that commitment, we welcome the report and recommendations of the...