Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 15, Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have policies and procedures to support individuals who are affected in this capacity. They are put on a priority list and things like that. I can’t say specifically what happened to these individuals because I’m not 100 percent familiar. But what I can do is commit to get for committee the details on what was done for these individuals and I will make sure Member Hawkins gets that detail as well.

I would like to know what the three communities are as well. We did have the three communities identified. We had discussed them in business planning. Since that time, we’ve had a couple of changes and we have had to reconsider the communities that we are going into. We haven’t decided fully on what the other two communities are going to be, but we are working on that right now. We hope to have those communities listed in short order. So for now, it’s Tulita. We will get back to the Member as soon as we can with the names of the other two communities.

I forget the other part of the question, so...

That would be presupposing what is specifically appropriate for every individual community. The framework offers the tools to help them set their priorities based on resources they have in the communities, resources that are available regionally, resources that are available territorially. Communities need to set their priorities and each community will have their own individual Community Safety Strategy. I’d hate to presuppose what anyone would look like, given that every community in the Northwest Territories has their own unique realities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of constituents from the Great Slave riding. First, Emily Gosselin, who is with us here as part of William MacDonald School, as well as Bill and Cindy Gilday.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Results Report 2012-2013, 20/20: A Brilliant North, NWT Public Service Strategic Plan.”

There are a number of programs that already exist in the Northwest Territories. It’s about creating access to the different programs and services, whether they are health programs, whether they are education programs, or whether they are justice programs. We need more money. It’s difficult to say at this point in time. We will have a better assessment of that after we have created the pilot in these first three communities, Tulita being the first community that we are going into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What has been developed, the strategy is basically a skeleton or framework that will be able to go into the communities, we’ll be able to work with communities so that they can set their priorities based on this framework. The framework was developed in cooperation from a number of different organizations, including the Department of Justice, the RCMP, as well as input from communities, so the types of things that they would like to see that will help them develop their own individual strategies. So it’s more of a framework that will be able to be used by the...

Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northwest Territories know their needs and priorities and communities should take the lead on determining how to address issues, like community safety, that matter to them. The Department of Justice is committed to assisting communities, and the NWT has been recognized throughout Canada as a leader in community-based initiatives like our community justice committees. Today I would like to speak to Members about another initiative we are introducing to support our people and their communities, the Community Safety Strategy.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, crime...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, May 31, 2013, I will move that Bill 18, Apology Act, be read for the first time.