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Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
December 2, 2009

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Patty Pottle, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs:

Justice Camp Educates Youth in Hopedale

I rise in this Honourable House to inform colleagues of an initiative to better inform Aboriginal Youth of our system of justice. This past weekend I attended a Youth Justice Camp that took place in Hopedale, an Inuit community on the North Coast of Labrador. The camp is organized by the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, a non-profit group dedicated to educating people about the law.

The Youth Justice Camp is designed to teach youth about the criminal justice system in Canada and inform them of their rights and responsibilities under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. This is only the second time a Youth Justice Camp was held on the North Coast. The first camp was held in Nain this past spring.

The proper administration of justice is very important to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and we have made great strides in improving our justice system for people throughout the province. In Labrador, much work has been carried out to make the administration of justice more responsive to the needs of Aboriginal people and their communities. For example, through the Northern Strategic Plan for Labrador, two Aboriginal court clerk positions have been filled in Happy Valley-Goose Bay; a co-ordinator position was hired for the RCMP Community Justice Forums program to benefit coastal communities, an Aboriginal justice symposium was held to promote dialogue between the justice system and Aboriginal people; as well, in this fiscal year, the Provincial Government has increased funding from $100,000 to $200,000 to continue to support and enhance the grant program to advance violence prevention for women, children and families in Aboriginal communities.

I applaud the efforts of the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. I believe it is important that we recognize this organization�s work to educate people, especially youth. The experiences gained from this Youth Justice Camp are valuable to their educational growth.

Far too often we have seen young people, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike, make regrettable mistakes and decisions that can negatively affect their lives. I believe that by influencing and educating youth through efforts such as this Youth Justice Camp, we have the ability to provide them with the necessary skills to assist them in making the right choices.

I ask all my colleagues in this Honourable House to join me and congratulate the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador for its ongoing work, especially its efforts to help Aboriginal youth become more aware of their rights and responsibilities in our justice system.

2009 12 02                                                       2:20 p.m.
 


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