Jackson Lafferty

With the federal government and their own initiatives, we don’t know if this is on their radar. At the same time, if we’re going to build this kind of facility, we’re talking millions. Those millions going through the communities, such as preventive programs that we currently are pursuing, we are again achieving those successes to date. Community policing. We’re talking about an institution here that could be in the far distance, down the road. At the same time, we have to listen to what the federal government’s goals and objectives are for the Northwest Territories. When the opportunity comes...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular area, we get direction from the Legislative Assembly and the priorities and goals and objectives of this government. I didn’t see any penitentiary within the goals of this Assembly. There are other priority items, priorities of the Northwest Territories and the communities such as community policing or other community programming. Those are the areas we focus on. Mostly on community policing, the Community Policing Program. Those are the areas that we’re focusing on. The areas we feel we can achieve and we have to date achieved those goals and objectives...

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to update the House on the Department of Justice’s work to improve policing services across the Territory.

I would first like to recognize the new commanding officer of the Northwest Territories “G” Division, Chief Superintendent Wade Blake. Chief Superintendent Blake has 29 years of experience in the RCMP. Residents of Fort Smith will recognize him from his posting there from 1989-1992. He is well known for his commitment to alternative justice approaches and community policing. He is very familiar with the needs of small aboriginal communities without on-site...

I can commit to the Member that I am willing to work with them on this symposium that he’s referring to. He did bring that to my attention and I believe that’s going forward. I told him, if we’re invited, we’ll certainly be part of that ongoing process. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, by all means. Those are consultations that we need to have. We do have representatives at the regional levels; not just Sahtu region but other regions. We depend on their expertise because they’re fully aware of the community needs, the community programming, and what’s needed, what’s lacking. So those are areas that we need to have continuous consultation and dialogue with the Sahtu region.

Mr. Speaker, yes, we will have a dialogue with them. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I would be more than willing to visit the communities of Nunakput and other communities as well, just to visit the schools, the board chairs, the board councils. Those are ongoing initiatives that we are currently undertaking and we are making commitments to visit all schools. Mahsi.

We’re not hiding behind the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. We gave them the empowerment; we gave them the funding, because they’re the experts at the regional level. They provide us advice, recommendations, and also going forward on decision-making. So, Mr. Speaker, we’ve heard over and over from this Assembly and the First Nations assembly, First Nations community, the communities, that they want to have the power to make decisions. We gave them that authority and we have to respect that.

In my role as Education Minister, we do have the Education Act that we follow. All across the board...

Fifty-eight cents. We have to keep our priorities straight here. We have two detachments that are coming: Wrigley and Gameti. Those are my first priority as a department of the GNWT. Penitentiary is over here possibly. We have to consult with the federal government if they’re willing to do that. My focus is on two detachments and I’m going to continue to push that until we see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s coming. Those are our priorities for this Government of the Northwest Territories.

If it is the will of this Assembly, I will be more than willing to present that idea to the federal government. But I haven’t heard much from this Assembly if this is a priority for this government. If it is, then I’d like to know from this Assembly. Then I can put a bug in the federal Minister’s ear that this is of high importance for the territorial government. I haven’t heard that to date. There are other pressing issues that we certainly are dealing with. I feel that we need to tackle more of those small issues that we can certainly achieve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to recognize the new Commanding Officer, Mr. Wade Blake, who is fulfilling a new role as commanding officer. I’d like to thank Mr. Middleton for all these years of commitment and dedication and wish him all the luck in his retirement. I also recognize Bronwyn Watters, my deputy minister of the Justice department.