Debates of August 16, 2007 (day 11)

Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Justice. The question I have is in regards to the wilderness camp that he initiated through his department in terms of initiating a pilot project in the Sahtu region in the community of Fort Good Hope. That was the community that had this program. I wanted to ask the Minister of Justice in terms of his initial insight in terms of an evaluation as to how this camp is doing in terms of what other camps may have been operating in the Northwest Territories. This is a very unique camp. I think the Minister of Justice needs to be commended on his initiative to pull this camp through and do something for the people in the North. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, let me thank the Member for his work in seeing this camp become a reality. In the 2006 winter season, the Member worked very hard with Charlie and Laura Tobac to encourage them to put forward an application to develop such a camp. In the 2006 season, we had a six-week program. In the 2007 winter season, we did the same. We are looking forward to similar programs as we go into this year into the winter program. We bought the equipment and we are lending that to the camp facility and then storing it in the off season. It is working very well. We are working with inmates. The inmates have reported that it has been very successful for them in helping them with some of their programming needs. So, by all accounts, this has been a success; a success that we hope that we can replicate in other regions of the territory. I know the next government is looking forward to working with other Members and committee to roll this out in other regions. I know we have plans currently underway in the Tlicho region. I thank the Member for his encouragement and want to acknowledge that much of his work was the impetus behind this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this initiative came from the elders in the Sahtu. They thought about it for a long time. I’m a voice for them in this Assembly here. Mr. Speaker, this initiative has also been voiced to people in the Tlicho, as Mr. Minister has indicated. The Member for the Beaufort-Mackenzie Delta in terms of Tl’oondih. I want to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, in this issue here, can this be replicated to young people that we have in the Northwest Territories and the Sahtu region where a lot of issues are being dealt with now by the young people through the youth of their use of alcohol and drugs? It has been an issue that has been on our people’s minds. Can we take something like this and gear it towards the young people now? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Mr. Speaker, that is one of the things that I think will make this ultimately much more successful in the way we approached wilderness camps in the past. We are not looking to set up permanent facilities out on the land. We are not expecting an operator to come with a huge amount of infrastructure. We are supplying equipment which we store. We can set this up for men, women or youth. It is all about the programming and finding elders who are willing to do this. The department will work very closely with those people to make sure that we make this a success. So, yes, I think this can be replicated in other regions. As the Member has pointed out, the Member from Tlicho has already been working with his community services agency to see it rolled out this winter. I am sure it will be successful in that region. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories should be very proud in terms of leading the rest of Canada in terms of this type of operation that we are dealing with the Department of Justice. Now, can the Minister commit to me and to the House that he can look at laying out some options in terms of how we take the type of camp that is in Fort Good Hope and replicate it to a youth justice program so that youth now can take advantage of this in the coming years in terms of the camps that we have talked about? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Mr. Speaker, as we go into the business planning process, as the next government sits down to talk about priorities, they will see, from the work that we have done, the reviews that we have in from both the operator and from inmates. By all accounts, this type of program has been a success. There are many other opportunities and avenues that this can take. I expect that we will be able to sit down with committee and talk about where they would like this programming to go. This, in fact, was a pilot in the Sahtu region. We did this pilot with the hopes that it would be successful and that we could broaden and expand the program. That is exactly what we are going to be able to do. It is simply a matter of the next government sitting down in this Assembly, deciding it is a priority that they want to fund. I fully expect that they will do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will this Minister in this government make it a priority of the Department of Justice to move it out of the pilot project concept into a firm program that could be used in our region, expand it to other areas, involve other departments in terms of having this camp be as successful and be a leading solution to all other programs in Canada? Could I have the Minister commit to me in the House here to move this forward into a high level of priorities within his department? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Mr. Speaker, I suspect the Member at times often knows the answer to the question that he is asking. There is work underway between social envelope departments currently -- I am sure he was not tipped at all, Mr. Speaker -- to look at how we can work interdepartmentally, Health, Education, Justice, all working collaboratively to talk about wilderness camps and to talk about standards, criteria and programming. I expect that this will take a much larger focus and have a higher profile in future governments as it should. We have far too many people in institutions. We need to get some of these people out on the land to do some healing. Thank you.