Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement today I raised the possibility that the reason the law bursary program failed to encourage any recipients to return north to article and practise law may have been related to the lack of attention the department paid to the recipients and the program in general. Can the Minister of Justice inform this Assembly whether, once the department realized the law bursary program wasn’t meeting its intent…? Did the department examine the program with a view to improving it so it would meet its objectives?
The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi. Mr. Speaker, this particular program was introduced in 1999–2000. We have had limited success with this program. That’s one area we looked at as a department as part of how we can improve in these areas. That was an area we looked at as part of the reduction that has been brought forward. Due to the fact that we haven’t had much success in this area.... Part of that introduction was to increase lawyers in the Northwest Territories, specifically aboriginal lawyers. But there had been a limited intake in the program. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, I have a constituent who is currently in their second year, who is in law school because of the bursary program, and has not heard back from the GNWT Department of Justice about articling or summer employment opportunities. It just seems ironic that we’ve had limited success so therefore let’s just pull the rug out from under the whole thing. What about the students who are currently enrolled in law school, who are depending on the law bursary program to conclude their studies?
Mr. Speaker, currently, for the past seven or eight years we’ve sponsored these students to return to the Northwest Territories.... Out of the 19 we’ve sponsored, five returned to article here in the North. Two are in practice: one is in the legal division and one is in Behchoko. One is currently articling.
Mr. Speaker, we hoped that we had more applicants in this area. At the same time, when we talk about the summer employment, the students would have to notify our department by February 28 for summer employment, as with any other students, to be employed here in the North. Also, if they have successfully completed their degree program, the law degree program, they may be considered for an articling position within the Justice Department.
So it’s just a matter of applying to our department. Certainly my department will do whatever we can to have those individuals within our system. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, my constituent is in second year of law school. They would like to complete their degree. Why can’t the students who are currently enrolled, at the very least, be grandfathered and receive support for the remainder of their degree?
It may be that when these young people do graduate from law school there may be some attraction to stay down south for awhile. Ultimately, a lot of people will return to their roots and will return to their homes when they get ready to settle down, perhaps raise a family. They will come back to the North.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t believe we can cut off support to somebody who’s already gone to law school. I mean, I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s amazing. These people who are undertaking such a thing as a law degree, especially our young northern and aboriginal students, should be congratulated and supported in any way possible.
Will the Minister commit to continuing to support my constituent for the continuation, to the completion of his law degree?
Mr. Speaker, right now we still do offer, for this year, up to $5,000 per student to continue for another year. At that point in time the student will have the opportunity to explore other bursaries. There’s a whole bunch of scholarships out there. When you attend a university or a college, there are all these bulletin boards that have opportunities for students to apply. Based on their academics, they can easily access up to ten, 15 different scholarships.
So certainly our department will continue to support these students for this year financially and also support them in any way we possibly can with summer employment, if they do apply in time, and also articling when they want to return to the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Mr. Speaker, when students take up studies in the area of law or medicine, these are more costly than other academic fields. Although our SFA support is very generous, it’s not generous enough when your tuition is $10,000 a year for law school and the cost of books is $1,000 a year.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot conceive of this government discontinuing support to someone who’s already out and going to law school, wanting to complete their studies. What if other areas of scholarships or foundation support don’t come through? Is the Minister suggesting that the student, if they don’t have the financial resources or the support of the government, should just drop out of the program?
Mr. Speaker, that certainly is not the case. We’re not encouraging students to drop out. We’re encouraging them to stay in school and be successful in their particular program.
This particular constituent is grandfathered as well, along with other students who are in the current system. So we do continue to support them during this transition period.
Mr. Speaker, it’s important to highlight that we are here to support them as the Government of the Northwest Territories, and our SFA program is one of the best in Canada. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
