Louis Sebert

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, we simply don't think that this will affect access to justice at all. I think those jurisdictions to the south of us that have gone to this type of system have not decided to go back to the old system of having a court reporter present in virtually all court proceedings. We simply don't think it is necessary anymore. I don't think it affects access to justice. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Of course, that would vary considerably with the complexity of the estate matter that is being reviewed. We can perhaps provide committee with or attempt to get some averages, but there's probably a pretty wide variety in times that these things might take. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The fees, in my view, when the contemplated reduction from 10 to 5 per cent goes through, are very reasonable. Again, they are fees that are assessed on the land value. If your property had a value of $40,000, which would be a very large lot, the 5 per cent of that would be $2,000. If you are a senior, it would be reduced to $1,000. I think those fees are reasonable. The government does have to collect revenue from some sources to fund all of our programs.

Yes. Of course, we follow the direction of the territorial government with respect to affirmative action programs. I understand that, of the 329, which includes relief workers, there are 119 Indigenous Aboriginal, 57 Indigenous non-Aboriginal, and 153 non-Aboriginal. Yes, we would like to increase the number of Indigenous Aboriginal corrections officers. We do make efforts to encourage them to apply.

I don't think we are too much different from the government as a whole. We follow the same policies. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I haven't had a chance to review the report as it just came out very recently. I know last year we had concerns with the methodology involved, which I understand likely is also a concern this year. I do know that we have one of the most comprehensive legal aid plans in North America. We cover a great number of matters that are not covered elsewhere. That might skew the statistics somewhat. I think Mr. Goldney has some additional information though, and I'd ask if I might defer the rest of the answer to him. Thank you.

Well, generally speaking, I think it would be better to work through the Yellowknife office, where the commanding officer is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Essentially, we are doing what other jurisdictions have done some time ago, so this is quite usual in jurisdictions down south. Also, too, many of the decisions of the courts can be accessed on CanLii for no cost, so that won't change. Those cases will still be published, but, if you want a transcript of the whole trial, you may well be looking at some considerable cost. Thank you.

Thank you. I don't think the backlog really has been caused by the lack of drafters of the legislation, but I'll turn it over to Mr. Goldney, perhaps, to expand on that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member opposite is quite correct. In certain communities, homeowners who have reached 65 do have their taxes or a portion of their taxes waived, but that is taxation, and I think it is a program that is just about unique in Canada. No, we haven't been contemplating something similar for land lease fees, but we have of course contemplated lowering those fees and also giving our seniors a 50 per cent break on them.

Yes, I understand that there are more meetings between senior staff and corrections officers than there once were. Hopefully, these problems, if they are problems, won't recur in the future. Thank you, Mr. Chair.