Jane Groenewegen

Agreed. Thank you. Does the committee agree that that concludes the review of the main estimates for the 2005-06 fiscal year for the Department of Justice?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What recourse would an employee have if they had been in a term position for a two-year period, the term is going to be renewed but they are ineligible to apply because somebody else is on a priority hire staff retention list? Thank you.

Well, you know, it’s ironic, Mr. Chairman. We’re going to need more than four RCMP just to keep escorting these people back and forth. We’re going to be taking RCMP out of circulation to do this. So it’s kind of a catch-22 situation. Mr. Chairman, ever since the business plans came forward and the main estimates came forward and standing committees made their recommendations, even since then there has been initiatives discussed with us, I don’t want to get into the detail of them, that indicate new investments on the part of this government for expanding government, for adding positions for...

Thank you for that characterization of that being one small part in one small place. That one small part and that one small change is costing my community 5.5 indeterminate positions and probably nine casual positions in the process. If the Minister thinks that is a small impact on a small community, well, then I guess I have my work cut out for me here to talk about this, because that is a huge impact. It may be a small change in the overall operations of Justice and part of this government, but it is a huge impact on the community of Hay River.

Mr. Chair, I am just going to talk for a few...

Agreed. Thank you. Page 6-12, infrastructure acquisition plan, services to the public, tangible capital assets, total tangible capital assets, $93,000, total activity, $93,000, total department, $1.780 million.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, of the people that we had indicated would be losing their jobs in Hay River, I had indicated 12 full-time positions at the Dene K’onia and the 10 casual positions. The Minister indicated that we wouldn’t count the casuals into the job losses. However, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to indicate that of the 10 casuals, at least six have worked at that facility for more than three years, four years, three years, seven, and seven. Quite a number of them have been there for a long time. This is their sole source of income. I think it is really a sad statement on the part...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Which is my point; if the Minister thought there was need for it, he would find the money. Correct? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My point is it is only possible because of the investment that was made in the North Slave Correctional Centre. What was the investment in the North Slave Correctional Centre, one more time, for the record, Mr. Chair?

Agreed. Thank you. Page 6-10, infrastructure acquisition plan, community justice and corrections, tangible capital assets, total tangible capital assets, $90,000, total activity, $90,000.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given that the first year was the hard year, and that was the year that Hay River got hit so desperately, and now it looks like the future is a little better; wouldn’t it be prudent as a government, to go back and revisit some of those reductions to try to mitigate some of that harm that has been brought to my community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.