Jane Groenewegen

Mr. Speaker, this is my final question. I wonder if the Minister would commit to working with the Minister of Health and Social Services to do a cost-benefit analysis on providing those resources in the communities to deal with those folks who are in court as a result of drug addictions to see which is the more economic and humane route for this government to provide the resources to support those people in their efforts to get away from those addictions, or to look at the cost of where they are ultimately going to end up and that is in jail. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Brendan Bell. Mr. Bell gave a Minister’s statement today talking about community justice and some of the pilot projects and some of the innovative things that are being done on the community justice front in our communities. I have to agree that it would appear that we are gaining good results from some of these things. I would like to commend the Minister and his department for that. However, Mr. Speaker, recently, a situation has been drawn to my attention. I believe it has been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that the Minister and everyone in this room or Chamber know that the community resources are not there to deal with drug addictions in many cases and particularly in the smaller communities. To sentence people to house arrest who are drug addicted seems like a bit of a recipe for disaster or for failure for those individuals. I would like to ask the Minister if he has room in the jails for these people. If we don’t have the resources to provide counselling and help for these people who are drug addicted, does he have room in his jails for them...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the Members that Hay River is proud to be hosting the 22nd Annual NWT Track and Field Championships. The organizers are expecting approximately 1,250 participants coming into town from 31 communities in the Northwest Territories. A huge part of the track and field success must be credited to the staff of the Hay River schools: Diamond Jenness Secondary School, Princess Alexander School and the Harry Camsell School. I would also like to recognize at this time the many residents of Hay River, the parents and coaches. These people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that the Minister and everyone in this room or Chamber know that the community resources are not there to deal with drug addictions in many cases and particularly in the smaller communities. To sentence people to house arrest who are drug addicted seems like a bit of a recipe for disaster or for failure for those individuals. I would like to ask the Minister if he has room in the jails for these people. If we don’t have the resources to provide counselling and help for these people who are drug addicted, does he have room in his jails for them...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the Members that Hay River is proud to be hosting the 22nd Annual NWT Track and Field Championships. The organizers are expecting approximately 1,250 participants coming into town from 31 communities in the Northwest Territories. A huge part of the track and field success must be credited to the staff of the Hay River schools: Diamond Jenness Secondary School, Princess Alexander School and the Harry Camsell School. I would also like to recognize at this time the many residents of Hay River, the parents and coaches. These people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure today to be able to welcome the Hay River Handbell Choir in the Chamber. I understand you are going to introduce them individually when they perform for us again in the Great Hall. I just wanted to say welcome. Thank you for coming. I would also like to recognize my constituency assistant, Wendy Morgan. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure today to be able to welcome the Hay River Handbell Choir in the Chamber. I understand you are going to introduce them individually when they perform for us again in the Great Hall. I just wanted to say welcome. Thank you for coming. I would also like to recognize my constituency assistant, Wendy Morgan. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there’s a lot of activity in the North right now. Spring is in the air and there is excitement and optimism about our economy. At a recent Meet the North Conference in Edmonton, I have never seen more networking and deal making going on. There is an expectancy surrounding the possibilities of the Mackenzie gas project. The Joint Review Panel will be in Hay River next week to commence their hearings in our region.

Amid all this flurry of activity, though, there hangs a backdrop of uncertainty as to how northerners are going to benefit from resource...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there’s a lot of activity in the North right now. Spring is in the air and there is excitement and optimism about our economy. At a recent Meet the North Conference in Edmonton, I have never seen more networking and deal making going on. There is an expectancy surrounding the possibilities of the Mackenzie gas project. The Joint Review Panel will be in Hay River next week to commence their hearings in our region.

Amid all this flurry of activity, though, there hangs a backdrop of uncertainty as to how northerners are going to benefit from resource...