Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Through our consultation with the communities and also our partners with various organizations such as the RCMP and NGOs and other organizations and interdepartmental as well, we provide various programs. One of our priorities, of course, is prevention and preventive measures, and also the Member referred to the treatment, how we can have a program in place that those individuals, the victims who are seeking out some sort of support from our organizations in the Government of the Northwest Territories. Through that, there have been some programs such as I just highlighted...

The Member is correct that a number of departments are providing funding to the Centre for Northern Families. ECE, Health and Social Services, NWT Housing Corporation and the Executive provide just over $600,000 to deliver programs and services such as the Early Childhood Program in different areas, outreach workers and the shelter funding, emergency shelter. Within the Justice department, through community justice programming, we are going through the review or programming of the dollars that are being contributed to the communities. We have to work with the organizations such as the...

Mr. Speaker, the Domestic Family Violence Treatment Option Court Program has been developed through the court proceedings and it has the involvement of a chief judge, Chief Judge Gorin, Judge Gagnon. The Department of Justice, my department, is working closely with them. The Public Prosecution of Canada, the RCMP and the defence bar are the parties that are involved in developing this program. The program will be delivered here in Yellowknife, working closely with the offenders and also the low-risk offenders.

Mr. Speaker, we feel that this is a great opportunity to work within the court system...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In support of northern victims of crime, I am pleased to announce the NWT Department of Justice implementation of the Victim Notification Program.

The NWT Victim Notification Program is designed to give victims of crime information about the convicted offenders who have harmed them. Many of the provinces, as well as the federal corrections service, offer programs like this. Victim notification programs are designed to give victims the information they need to plan for their safety and assist with the healing process. Information that is provided to the victim includes things...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Conflict of Interest Act, be read for the third time.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 20, An Act to Amend the Evidence Act, be read for the third time.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] The knowledge of the elders is very important. [Translation ends]

[English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to thank the Member for putting this motion forward. As I stated in my language, it is because of the elders of the past and the elders of the present that I still speak my language. I would like to thank them for that. I am a firm believer in having elders in school as well. We do have elders in schools and we’ll continue to provide those services.

I think this motion basically provides us more strength to move forward on what we...

That was also brought up. That will be part of the discussion we’ll be having with my department. We need to look at the overall structure of how we deliver subsidy programming. We talk about individuals living with their parents or grandparents and some individuals can be making more money than we are, standing up here. But we don’t charge them to be part of the household. So we ask for household income so they can be part of the process. So there’s no penalization on the elders. Those are the options we need to work with.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I did commit in this House a couple of weeks ago that we are looking at a seniors home fuel subsidy and if we need to make some changes, we need to work with the committee members. Those are areas that I did already commit. We will keep the Members posted as we move forward.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Mike Reddy, policy and planning division, and Ian Rennie, legislation division.