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.