Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, obviously we agree. Obviously this is something that is important and needs to be done, but it does take time to develop appropriate training. We can’t snap our fingers and have this done overnight. We need to engage the Aboriginal groups. We need to look at the different Aboriginal groups throughout the territory and make sure the training is specific to all the different regions in the Northwest Territories and then we have to put it into place. We have committed to have something in place. We pilot it in the fall. I stand by that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To date there is no standardized GNWT training available to staff to make sure that they are aware of the different cultures and are prepared to deal with those situations here in the Northwest Territories. But in our strategic plan, 20/20, building a public service, we are committed to actually pursue that training and put that training into place.

To that end, a request proposal for Aboriginal cultural awareness training has just been concluded. We are about to award that contract and develop appropriate culturally relevant training here in the Northwest Territories...

Mr. Speaker, we will have a program in place in the fall to be piloted. I can’t create something with a snap of my fingers. It takes time. We have to consult with the different Aboriginal groups. We have to make sure we have proper input. We have to make sure that the program is going to work. We can put something in place overnight, but I can pretty much guarantee that it’s going to be a failure.

Give us a bit of time to get this done right. The fall is not that far away. It’s May. Summer is here. We will have something ready in the fall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we have done an RFP and we are concluding that right now. We will have training. We are planning to roll out a pilot in the fall of 2012 that will be available to employees in the Northwest Territories of the GNWT so that they are aware of the different cultures and aware of the realities that they have to deal with here in the Northwest Territories.

As far as other departments, other departments have different programs, depending on the types of programs they are responsible for. The Department of Justice does have cultural sensitivity training as part of their...

The act is designed in such a way, and EPOs are designed in such a way, that there are checks and balances. When an individual comes in to file or prepare an EPO, they sit down with people who have been trained on what an EPO is and how it’s supposed to be filled out. Those individuals, through the training – and I have confirmed this with the department – are required to explain to the individual the ramifications of lies, which the act does cover as well. The act says if you lie and you’re charged, you can receive jail time or fines. There are checks and balances in place, and at the end of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The emergency protection order is an incredibly valuable tool to battle family violence in the Northwest Territories. I’ve had an opportunity to talk with RCMP, NGOs and the department about the importance of these EPOs, and I’ve had an opportunity to look at the policies that exist and talk about those policies with the department and others. I believe that there are some recommendations that came forward in the report that was done in the last Assembly. We are looking at those recommendations and we will make corrections and improvements where appropriate. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the report is before us and it is being reviewed by the department. I had directed the department to review the training programs that they have in place, that people who assist people prepare EPOs go through to ensure that they make it very clear to individuals the ramifications of perjury. We need to make sure that people understand the ramifications of using a tool like this to hurt as opposed to help. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Member has quoted from the report. The report is under consideration and we will make improvements to the EPO process as we move forward. The EPOs are supported by a significant number of different groups in the Northwest Territories and they have saved lives. I had an opportunity to talk with the RCMP in Inuvik when we were up there in January, and they said very clearly that EPOs save lives. At the end of the day, that’s an incredibly important thing. Thank you.

There is a lot that needs to be done. There is no question that drugs and alcohol in the Northwest Territories are a problem. The Department of Justice is trying to focus more on prevention and diversion rather than incarceration. The department is doing things like supporting the Not Us campaign, which we got real positive responses on.

In the day, those youth that are involved in violent crime, those individuals that are involved in organized crime will likely receive stiffer penalties under C10 and the changes to the YCJA. That doesn’t change the fact that we still want to focus on diversion...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have done an analysis of Bill C10. Our analysis shows or we understand and believe that we will see some young offenders in custody for longer periods of time under Bill C10. One of the primary changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act under Bill C10, is it is changing to the main principles of the bill to include protection of society. In that we see some increases of sentences for young offenders by adding specific deterrence and denunciation principles of sentencing, expanding the definition of violent offenders, violent youth offenders may see more time in our...