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From YouTube: Main Estimates - Ministry of Justice
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A
B
B
B
I
would
like
to
call
the
meeting
to
order
and
welcome
everyone
in
attendance.
The
committee
has
under
consideration
the
estimates
of
the
ministry
of
justice
for
the
fiscal
year.
Ending
March
31
2024
I'd
like
to
ask
them,
go
around
the
table
and
have
members
introduce
themselves
for
the
record
Minister.
Please
introduce
the
officials
who
are
joining
you
at
the
table.
My
name
is
Jackie,
lovely
and
I'm,
an
MLA
for
the
cameras
constituency
and
the
chair
of
the
committee.
I
And
Madam
chair
you
want
me,
then,
to
introduce
at
the
summit
Kate.
So
first
of
all,
Madam
chair,
we
have
the
acting
Deputy,
Minister
and
assistant
Deputy
Minister
for
court
and
Justice
Services
directly
to
my
right,
that
is
Tracy
wurstick.
We
also
have
Brad
Smith
who's.
The
assistant
Deputy
minister
of
financial
services
and
the
senior
finance
officer
he's
directly
to
my
left.
I
Sue
stushnov
is
the
is
the
assistant
Deputy
Minister
for
Legal
Services
Division
she's
in
the
far
left
and
Alex
Thompson
acting
assistant,
Deputy
Minister
for
SSI
strategy
support
and
integrated
initiatives
he's
to
the
far
right.
We
also
have
in
the
gallery.
Kim
Goddard
Kim
is
the
assistant
Deputy
minister
of
Alberta
crown
execution
service,
and
we
also
have
the
executive
director
of
financial
services,
another
Brad
Brad
Wills.
Thank
you,
I'm
sure.
B
All
right
and
I'd
like
to
note
the
following
substitutions
for
the
record
member
Loyola
as
Deputy
chair
for
honorable
MS
segregson,
a
few
housekeeping
items
to
address
below
we
turn
before.
We
turn
to
business
at
hand.
Please
note
that
the
microphones
are
operated
by
Hazard
staff
committee
proceedings
are
live
streamed
on
the
internet
and
broadcast
on
Alberta
assembly
TV.
The
audio
and
visual
stream
transcripts
of
meetings
can
be
accessed
via
the
Alberta
legislative
assembly
website.
B
Members
participating
remotely
are
encouraged
to
turn
your
cameras
on,
while
speaking,
if
there
are
any
and
mute
your
microphone
when
not
speaking,
remote
participants
who
wish
to
be
placed
on
the
speakers
list
are
asked
to
email
or
message
to
the
committee
Clerk
and
members
in
the
room
should
signal
to
the
chair
and
I,
see
that
Tanya
fur
has
joined
us
online.
Welcome
member
now,
let's
pause
for
a
moment
and
have
you
introduce
yourself.
B
We
can
thank
you,
member.
Please
set
your
cell
phones
and
other
devices
to
silent
for
the
duration
of
the
meeting,
so
honorable
members,
the
standing
order,
set
out
the
process
for
consideration
of
the
main
estimates.
A
total
of
three
hours
has
been
scheduled
for
consideration
of
estimates
for
the
ministry
of
Justice
standing
order.
B
59016
establishes
the
speaking
rotation
and
speaking
times
in
brief,
the
minister
or
a
member
of
executive
Council,
acting
on
The
Minister's
behalf
we'll
have
10
minutes
to
address
the
committee
at
the
conclusion
of
The
Minister's
comments.
A
60-minute
block
for
the
official
opposition
begins,
followed
by
a
20-minute
speaking
block
for
independent
members.
If
any
and
then
a
20-minute
speaking
block
for
the
government
caucus
individuals
may
only
speak
for
up
to
10
minutes
at
a
time,
but
speaking
times
may
be
combined
between
the
member
and
the
minister.
B
After
this
speaking
times
will
follow
the
same
rotation
of
the
official
opposition,
independent
members
and
government
caucus
the
member
and
the
minister
May
each
speak
once
for
a
maximum
of
five
minutes,
or
these
times
may
be
combined
making
it
a
10-minute
block.
If
members
have
any
questions
regarding
speaking
times
or
rotation,
please
send
an
email
or
message
the
committee
clerk
about
the
process
with
the
concurrence
of
the
committee
I
will
call
a
five-minute
break
near
the
midpoint
of
the
meeting.
However,
the
three-hour
clock
will
continue
to
run.
Does
anyone
oppose
having
a
break
okay
hearing?
B
None
will
proceed
with
the
break
Ministry
officials
may
be
present
and
at
the
direction
of
the
minister
May
address.
The
committee
Ministry
officials,
seated
in
the
gallery,
have
called
upon
have
access
to
a
microphone
in
the
gallery
area
and
are
asked
to
please
introduce
themselves
for
the
record
prior
to
commencing
pages
are
available
to
deliver
notes
or
other
materials
between
the
gallery
and
the
table.
Attendees
in
the
gallery
may
not
approach
the
table.
B
Space
permitting
opposition
caucus
staff
may
sit
at
the
table
to
assist
their
members.
However,
members
have
priority
to
sit
at
the
table
at
all
times.
If
debate
is
exhausted
prior
to
three
hours,
the
ministry's
estimates
are
deemed
to
have
been
considered
for
the
time
allotted
in
the
schedule,
and
the
committee
will
adjourn.
Points
of
order
will
be
dealt
with
as
they
arise
and
individual
speaking
times
will
be
paused.
B
The
vote
on
the
estimates
and
any
amendments
will
occur
in
Committee
of
the
supply
on
March
16
2023
amendments
must
be
in
writing
and
approved
by
parliamentary
Council
prior
to
the
meeting
at
which
they
are
to
be
moved.
The
original
amendment
is
to
be
deposited
with
the
committee
of
the
clerk
with
20
copies.
B
An
electronic
version
of
the
signed
original
should
be
provided
to
the
committee
clerk
for
distribution
to
committee
members.
Finally,
the
committee
should
have
the
opportunity
to
hear
both
questions
and
answers
without
interruption
during
estimate
debate,
debate
flows
through
the
chair
at
all
times.
Please,
including
instances
when
speaking
time
is
shared
between
a
member
and
the
minister
I,
would
now
invite
the
Minister
of
Justice
to
begin
with
your
opening
remarks,
you
have
10
minutes
Mr.
B
I
You,
madam
chair
I'll,
begin
by
saying
that
these
this,
this
ministry's
mandate
is
clear
and
focused.
I
The
Consolidated
budget
for
the
ministry
of
justice
for
Budget
23
is
658.5
million
dollars
this
year.
We're
making
significant
investments
in
Justice
we're
increasing
the
budget
by
152.4
million
dollars
or
30
percent
to
strengthen
the
overall
justice
system,
and
we
will
do
so
through
our
continued
investment
to
expand
and
modernize
Alberta's
court
system,
and
that
includes
a
new
online
digital
and
Court
technology.
I
I'd
now
like
to
take
a
closer
look
at
the
the
budgets
for
some
of
our
individual
divisions
in
the
Justice
Ministry,
so
the
total
budget
for
courts
and
Justice
Services
Division
that
total
budget
is
260.4
million
dollars,
and
that
includes
26.9
million
dollars
in
additional
funding
to
increase
staff
at
Judiciary
at
Alberta's,
three
independent
courts,
the
what
we
used
to
call
the
Provincial
Court
of
Alberta.
I
Now
the
Alberta
court
of
justice,
the
court
of
Kings
bench
and
the
court
of
appeal
over
the
last
several
years,
a
number
of
factors
have
contributed
to
a
significant
increase
in
workload
and
case
volumes
for
those
working
at
the
courts,
along
with
the
growing
population
of
the
province.
We've
also
seen
an
increase
in
law
enforcement
prosecutors
and
the
Judiciary
courtroom.
Time
complexity
of
matters
and
an
increase
of
self-represented
litigants
have
also
had
an
impact
on
workload
and
case
volumes.
This
funding
will
address
and
provide
solutions
for
these
issues
and
many
more.
I
We
also
have
improved
services
and
supports
for
families
this
year,
which
I
know
will
make
a
difference
to
many
albertans
facing
the
emotional
stress
of
legal
Family.
Matters,
five
million
dollars
will
go
towards
enhancing
family
resolution
services,
such
as
for
pre-court
assessment,
mediation,
Family,
Court,
counselors
and
parenting
intervention
programs,
whether
going
through
the
trauma
of
a
divorce
or
dealing
with
the
challenges
surrounding
child
custody.
Arrangements.
These
services
will
improve
outcomes
for
and
help
albertans
that
need
support
to
address
their
legal
Family.
I
Matters
resolution
services
help
mitigate
backlogs
in
the
justice
system
by
allowing
folks
to
resolve
disputes
outside
the
courts.
On
top
of
that,
some
of
the
increased
funding
will
allow
for
reinvestment.
In
services
such
as
the
contact
center
and
to
assist
those
experiencing
family
breakdown,
Justice
infrastructure
is
also
high
on
our
priority
list.
We
want
to
make
sure
that
buildings
such
as
the
courthouses
meet
the
needs
of
our
communities
and
that
their
designs
are
functional
and
serve
those
who
use
them.
I
That's
why
we
are
investing
a
total
of
4.8
million
dollars
in
capital
funding
for
a
range
of
studies
for
courthouses
in
Edmonton,
Grand,
Prairie
and
Sherwood
Park,
we're
also
planning
for
additional
courtrooms
at
the
Red
Deer
Justice
Center.
A
wide
range
of
Technology
upgrades
will
also
continue
to
modernize
Alberta's
justice
system
this
year.
I
Our
plan
is
to
invest
5.4
million
in
courtroom
technology
services
for
additional
funding
to
upgrade
technology
in
our
course,
and
that
includes
increasing
the
number
of
users
who
can
access
remote
courts
and
increasing
the
capacity
of
the
Court's
Hardware
to
support
the
enhanced
virtual
appearances
moving
on
to
the
legal
services
division.
This
budget
is
65.8
million
and,
from
this
amount
comes
20.2
million
dollars
for
more
civil
lawyers.
These
lawyers
are
integral
to
the
the
work
of
government.
I
I
The
next
division
highlight
is
SSI,
as
I
said,
that
stands
for
strategy,
support
and
integrated
initiatives,
and
they
have
a
proposed
budget
of
187.5
million
dollars
this
year.
Now,
as
a
lawyer,
I
understand
the
vital
role
that
a
strong
legal
aid
program
plays
in
a
justice
system
and
it's
a
priority
for
my
Ministry.
I
It
would
do
this
by
ensuring
that
the
Tariff-
or
that
is
the
the
rate
that
roster
lawyers
are
paid
to
provide
Legal
Aid
Services
reflects
current
Court
processes
and
legal
practices
and
that
remaining
sorry,
remuneration
and
lawyer
efforts
are
properly
matched
supporting
grieving.
Families
is
also
of
utmost
importance
to
our
work
in
the
Justice
Department.
When
someone
loses
a
beloved
family
member
or
friend,
they
need
to
focus
on
supporting
and
caring
for
each
other,
and
we
know
that
continued
Investments
are
crucial
to
help
hurting
families
find
closure
during
this
traumatic
time
in
their
lives.
I
And
that's
why
we're
investing
3.9
million
in
Alberta's
medical
examiner's
office?
We
will
bring
in
more
medical
examiners.
We
will
bring
in
more
state-of-the-art
equipment
for
these
Pathologists
and
our
staff.
We
will
continue
to
provide
high
quality
services
and
help
bring
timelier
closure
for
grieving
families.
I
On
top
of
that,
we're
investing
five
hundred
thousand
dollars
on
a
planning
study
for
a
new
modern,
Edmonton,
Medical
examiner's
Office.
At
the
same
time,
we're
bringing
in
new
court
and
Digital
Services,
that's
going
to
make
it
easier
and
faster
for
albertans
to
access
the
justice
system
anytime
anywhere
and
to
support
this.
The
province
is
maintaining
its
11
million
dollar
investment
in
Justice
digital
for
the
capital
budget
to
help
expand
on
existing
and
develop
new
online
services.
I
These
enhancements
will
make
the
justice
system
more
user
friendly
and
efficient
for
all
albertans
there's
also
ways
in
which
we
can
keep
albertans
safe
and
this
year
we're
continuing
to
do
so
by
reducing
wait
times
related
to
applications
and
transfers
of
legal
firearms.
With
a
funding
increase
of
more
than
7.4
million
dollars.
I
This
year,
Chief
Firearms
officer
will
be
able
to
hire
40
new
positions,
and
that
means
that
the
office
will
have
more
people
here
in
Alberta
to
process
more
administrative
tasks
such
as
license
applications,
transfers,
range
inspections
and
authorizations
to
transport
having
more
qualified
highly
trained
staff
to
complete
these
and
other
tasks
in
a
timely
manner
will
better
serve
law
abiding
responsible.
Thank
you
manager,.
B
Thank
you
Minister
for
the
hour
that
follows
members
of
the
official
opposition
and
the
minister
may
speak
honorable
members.
You
will
be
able
to
see
the
timer
for
the
speaking
block,
both
in
the
committee
room
and
on
Microsoft
teams.
Members.
Would
you
like
to
combine
your
time
with
the
minister
combined
Yes.
B
You
so
we'll
we'll
go
with
The
Minister's
request
blog
time
net.
Okay,
so
we
have
a
show
opposition.
Please
proceed.
L
L
We
are
not
combining
times
of
how
I'll
try
to
list
my
questions
and
and
that's
will
get
answers
to
all
of
them.
First
question
set
of
question
relates
to
honesty's
business
plan
on
page
85
of
the
business
plan.
It
states
and
I
quote.
The
ministry
of
Justice
helps
Ensure
all
albertans
have
access
to
a
fair
and
accessible
justice
system
where
the
rule
of
law
is
upheld
in
the
government
in
government
undertakings
are
administered
according
tomorrow.
L
Question
is
that
would
you
agree
that
a
fair
justice
system,
via
the
rule
of
Lies
upheld,
is
one
that
is
free
from
political
interference?
Yes
or
no
second
question
last
year
it
was
discovered
that
former
Justice
minister
called
the
Edmonton
police
chief
about
his
distracted
driving
ticket.
An
investigation
was
then
conducted
by
Justice
Adele
Kent.
The
investigation
concluded
that
Minister
attempted
to
interfere
in
the
justice
system.
This
is
an
egregious
act
for
a
minister,
especially
for
a
Justice
Minister.
L
Next
set
of
questions
relates
to
comments
that
Premier
made,
in
particular
speaking
to
reporters
on
January
12th,
the
premier
said
she
has
asked
Crown
prosecutors
about
charges
related
to
covid-19
health
violations,
and
I
quote.
We
do
have
an
independent
justice
department
in
independent
Crown
prosecutors
and
I
have
asked
them
to
consider
all
charges
under
the
lens
of
is
it
in
the
public
interest
to
pursue
encode
I
asked
them
on
a
regular
basis,
as
new
cases
come
out.
Is
it
in
the
pub?
L
B
H
The
Honorable
member
from
Crossway.
The
discussion
is
supposed
to
be
about
estimates
about
the
budget
about
finances.
A
number
of
Crossways
talking
about
issues
other
than
our
financial
situation,
so
I'd
respectfully
say
that
he
can
use
this
time
to
ask
those
questions.
But
I.
Don't
believe
that
the
minister
has
to
answer
those
questions
and
I
mean
that's
my
that's
that's
it.
Basically,
it's
23b
speaks
of
other
Tomatoes
other
than
the
question
under
discussion.
B
Okay,
so
remember
thank
you
for
that.
It's
that
would
be
classified
then,
as
a
point
of
order.
B
For
that
I
I
think
you
know,
because
this
is
block
time
the
member
can
ask
whatever
questions
he
would
like
to
ask
and
if
it
falls
outside
the
purview
of
estimates,
then
how
about
we
leave
it
to
the
minister
to
proceed
with
with
which
parts
he
would
then
answer?
Does
that
seem
fair?
L
B
So,
thank
you
so
much
both
members,
so
I
am
going
to
just
ask
that
we
for
the
the
purpose
of
our
discussion
tonight
that
we
do
have
time
and
that,
in
order
to
proceed,
just
ask
all
meeting
participants
to
keep
their
questions
and
responses
concise
into
the
topic
of.
L
So
the
question
I
have
is
this:
the
premium
should
never
be
speaking
to
Crown
prosecutors
and
trying
to
direct
them.
This
is
clearly
political
interference
and
goes
directly
against
your
ministry's
goal
of
a
fair
justice
system
and
upholding
the
rule
of
law.
I
have
previously
written
to
you
requesting
an
investigation
into
this
matter,
but
I
have
not
heard
back.
Will
there
be
an
independent
investigation
into
the
interference
in
the
justice
system
by
the
premium,
like
the
one
conducted
regarding
former
Minister
of
Justice
interference
in
the
justice
system?
L
It's
about
the
same
topic,
rule
of
law
and
Independence
of
our
grand
prosecution
office.
When
the
premier
was
asked
about
comments
regarding
to
from
prosecutors,
she
then
claimed
she
spoke
to
attorney
general
General
and
by
the
way,
Deputy
attorney
general
is
also
entitled
to
the
same
Independence
as
strong
prosecutors.
L
For
the
premier
to
speak
to
the
deputy
attorney
general
still
constitutes
political,
inform
and
interference,
and
if
you
recall,
this
is
a
similar
matter
to
the
snc
level
and
Scandal,
where
the
Prime
Minister
spoke
to
the
attorney
general
about
an
ongoing
base.
This
led
to
public
hearing
and
an
investigation
by
the
ethics
commissioner.
C
Thank
you,
madam
chair
I
would
speak
to
23b
speaks
to
matters
other
than
the
question
in
a
discussion.
Emotional,
rather
a
question
under
discussion.
C
B
L
B
Branch
just
pause
for
a
minute
I'd
like
to
just
do
a
brief
consultation.
If
you
all
that
wine
one
moment.
B
Well,
thank
you
so
much
I
appreciate
the
the
console
here
so
remember,
I
do
find
that
you
are
straying
a
bit
and
would
for
the
purpose
of
this
meeting
would
prefer
that
you
do
really
focus
on
the
the
estimates
and
the
reason
that
we're
all
here
for
this
evening.
Please
proceed.
You
have
five
minutes.
L
L
Even
if
this
is
the
case,
it
leaves
out
the
first
six
six
weeks
since
the
premiere
was
collected
when
asked
to
clarify
if
the
search
went
back
to
November
2022
Minister,
your
press
staff
refused
to
answer,
and
only
referred
media
to
the
initial
statement,
claiming
that
search
only
went
back
to
December
2022.,
given
the
search
did
not
cover
the
premier
entire
previous
entire
time
in
office.
In
the
importance
of
maintaining
a
fair
justice
system
which
upholds
the
rule
of
law,
will
you
conduct
an
investigation,
independent
investigation
into
this
issue.
C
I
bring
to
the
chair's
attention
23b
I'm,
really
having
a
struggling
here
with
the
with
the
members
opposites,
questions
he's
using
one
sentence
out
of
an
entire
business
plan
and
the
sentence
reads:
the
ministry
of
Justice
helps
to
ensure
that
all
albertans
have
access
to
a
fair
and
accessible
justice
system
or
the
rule
of
law
is
upheld
and
government
undertakings
are
administrated
at
registered
according
to
the
law
working
and
then
it
continues
working
alongside
Partners
in
the
Judiciary
law
enforcement
and
public
safety
and
health.
C
The
ministry
provides
programs
and
services
that
ensure
access
to
Justice
and
support
the
needs
of
albertans
involved
in
the
justice
system.
Madam
chair
the
questions
that
he's
got,
he
has
picked
one
sentence
and
taken
it
out
of
the
context
of
the
business
plan.
The
questions
that
he's
asking
are
not
devoted
to
the
budget
and
the
estimates
he's
trying
to
rehash
arguments
that
they
brought
up
in
the
house
that
have
nothing
to
do
with
this
budget
plan.
I
would
ask
for
you
to
ruin
that.
Please
thank.
L
Member
read
from
the
business
plan
the
line
that
I
am
referring
to
investment,
Ministries
job
fundamental
job,
to
ensure
that
rule
of
law
is
upheld,
that
there
is
a
fear,
inaccessible
justice
system
for
albertans
in
government
undertakings
are
administered
according
to
the
law,
and
then
it
goes
into
other
programs
which
I
will
certainly
ask
questions
about.
But
I
was
asking
question
about
a
fundamental
principle:
that's
stated
in
the
business
plan
in
that
what
Ministry
is
there
for
so
I?
Don't
think
it's
a
point
of
order.
Members
may
not
want
to
hear
about
it.
B
L
Much
and
thank
you
Madam,
chair
and
I
think
any
question
about
fiscal
plan
for
government
strategic
plan
and
business
plans
are
part
of
this
estimate
debate
and
that
what
clearly
says
on
page
86
of
Ernesto's
business
plan
as
well
so
I
think
I'm.
Trying
and
I
will
take
your
advice
and
do
my
best
to
make
them
more
relevant
to
the
estimates
page
85.
L
So
the
question
I
have
is
that
there
are
thousands
of
court
cases
involving
serious
crime
that
are
at
risk
of
falling
through
the
cracks.
That
was
the
case
last
year,
because
there
was
simply
not
enough
resources.
The
government's
work
plan
does
not
accommodate
for
the
shortages
in
the
department,
but
currently
it
is
unknown
for
Grandpa.
It
is
not
uncommon
for
the
crown
prosecutors
to
handle
30
40
trials
a
week
and
be
working
70
80
hours
a
week.
L
L
Those
who
were
wronged
by
criminal
acts
are
watching
their
perpetrators
work
scot-free
without
any
punishment
because
of
these
delays,
so
question
I
have
is
that?
Why
is
that?
They
didn't
get
access
to
Justice?
They
didn't
have
their
day
in
court
and
what
message
you
have
for
those
victims
of
crimes.
I
Thank
you
manager,
maybe
I'll
begin
by
speaking
generally
on
the
the
fact
that
govern
is
not
seeking
to
Grant
amnesty
or
pardons
for
covet
related
charges.
I'll
also
speak
generally
to
be
able
to
answer
the
the
first
series
of
questions
from
the
member
by
pointing
out
that
the
Office
of
the
Attorney
General,
it
has
a
very
unique
Independence
and
neutrality
in
our
parliamentary
democracy.
I
That
we've
inherited
from
the
United
Kingdom
it
took
until
1951
for
it
to
be
articulated
by
Lord
shawcross,
as
he
later
became
known
as,
but
this
is
part
of
the
unwritten
Constitution
that
we
inherited
from
the
United
Kingdom
and
it's
it's
a
very
special
and
unique
role
that
the
attorney
general
has
and
then
the
prosecutors
themselves
have
a
unique
Independence
and
neutrality
from
the
in
general
himself
or
herself
as
well.
And
that
is
something
that
has
been
upheld.
I
It's
been
my
commitment
to
the
the
Civil
Service
that
that
Independence
neutrality
will
be
upheld
and
it
has
been-
and
we
see
from
the
answer
that
the
premier
herself
gave
to
the
member
in
question
period
that
when
she
came
into
the
role
of
premier,
she
sought
the
advice
of
her
attorney
general
me
and
she
accepted
that
advice.
I
And
that's
that's
really
the
end
of
this.
The
answer
to
the
series
of
questions
we
had
from
the
the
member
Madam
chair
I
think
it's
also
important
because
there
was
allegations
raised
by
the
member
that
I
think
would
be
addressed
by
quoting
the
statement
from
the
ADM
of
the
Alberta
Crown
prosecution
service,
which
said
at
that
time.
The
acps
has
been
fully
as
fully
cooperated
with
the
independent
and
comprehensive
review
of
a
PS
emails
conducted
by
the
non-partisan
Alberta
public
service.
I
This
review
found
no
evidence
of
contact
between
the
Alberta
Crown
prosecution
service
and
the
premier's
office
regarding
prosecutions.
Continued
suggestions
of
impropriety
without
evidence
are
not
warranted
I'm
going
to
pause.
There
then
continues
this
unsubstantiated
speculation,
harms
the
reputation
of
the
acps
and
does
a
disservice
to
the
dedicated
Professionals
in
the
acps
carry
out
their
work
with
unwavering
integrity.
I
It
is
wrong
to
suggest
that
the
acps
has
been
anything
but
ethical
and
appropriate
and
carrying
out
its
duties.
The
acps
continues
to
act
independently,
while
maintaining
the
highest
ethical
standards
in
its
service
to
albertans,
end
quote
and
I
think
Madam
chair.
That
is
a
quote
that
really
needs
to
be
remembered
by
all
members
of
the
committee.
In
particular,
those
of
the
opposition
now
before
I
leave
that
topic
in
that
series
of
questions.
I
This
situation
is
different
because
the
first
Minister
here
in
Alberta
accepted
the
advice
of
her
attorney
general
next,
chair
I
will
move
on
to
the
questions
related
to
our
plan
to
deal
with
case
volume
in
the
court
system
and
the
work
that
we're
doing
in
working
with
the
crown
prosecution,
service
and
court
services
to
be
able
to
make
sure
there
are
the
resources
there
to
make
sure
that
everything
is
proceeding
in
a
timely
way
for
albertans
I.
I
First
talk
about
Madam
chair
that
we
have
increased
funding
that
will
be
used
to
address
increased
demand
for
operational
resources
due
to
backlogs
and
court
services,
continued
growth
and
volume
of
incoming
cases
and
Judiciary
compensation
as
well
we're
modernizing
technology
that
are
used
by
the
courts,
as
I
mentioned
in
my
opening
statement,
Capital
funding
that
will
be
helping
those
efforts
by
expanding
video
conferencing
capacity
in
our
courtroom.
So
the
member
was
quite
wrong
when
he
says
it's
vague
plan.
I
It's
a
very
it's
a
very
specific
plan
on
how
to
be
able
to
do
this.
I.
I
We've
also
seen
a
significant
increase
between
2019
under
previous
government
and
now
with
a
number
of
prosecutors
that
we
have
in
the
system.
It's
53
Edition,
53,
additional
prosecutors
that
we
have
as
well
with
the
work
that
we
did
in
the
last
year,
Madam
chair
in
working
with
akka,
the
Alberta
Crown
Association
of
Alberta.
I
Sorry,
sorry
forget
it
now:
I'm
drawing
a
blank
Alberta
crown
working
with
the
crown
of
prosecution
service
and
and
their
their
Association
to
be
able
to
to
provide
them
with
the
supports
that
they
need,
but
also
dealing
with
some
compensation
issues
when
they
pointed
out
that
there
was
a
differential
between
Alberta
and
other
jurisdictions,
and
we
had
a
turnover
rate
that
was
significant
actually
for
a
very
significant
period
of
time,
and
vacancy
rates
for
prosecutors
has
varied
between
8
11
12
in
the
last
well
at
least
seven
years.
I
This
is
the
lowest
now
that
we've
seen
in
the
vacancy
rate
for
prosecutors
because
of
the
work
that
we
did
in
working
with
the
prosecution
service
and
those
those
prosecutors
getting
it
down.
When
we
last
checked
it
in
February
as
low
as
4.2
percent,
and
that's
helping
us
being
being
able
to
work
with
the
Civil
Service
to
address
systemic
issues
that
we
saw
under
previous
governments
to
be
able
to
make
sure
that
we
had
the
resources
in
the
prosecution
service
and
in
the
courts
to
make
sure
that
we
are
addressing
Court
volumes.
I
And
it
wasn't
just
issues
of
volume
and
increases
in
in
volumes
over
the
last
couple
years.
It's
also
the
issues
that
every
province
has
seen
as
a
result
of
covid
and
trying
to
to
deal
with
volumes
that
did
add
up
during
covet.
I
As
I
said,
there
was
the
there's,
the
investments
in
technology,
there's
the
investment
in
in
more
staff
in
the
courts
and
the
more
prosecution
more
prosecutors
to
be
able
to
address
this
volume
to
make
sure
that
we
we
have
all
of
our
cases,
proceeding
in
the
courts
in
a
timely
way
and
I
said
in
my
opening
comments
that
budget
23
provides
funding
to
enable
us
to
hire
over
140
Court
clerks
to
clerk
in
our
courtrooms,
as
well
as
to
process
fines
to
serve
the
public
at
our
front
counters
in
real
courthouses,
and
that's
going
to
meaningfully
increase
access
to
justice
for
albertans
through
quicker
service
and
expanding
capacity
of
the
courts
in
Alberta.
I
We
also
see
as
well
Madam
chair.
We
are
investing
38
million
over
five
years
in
court
and
Justice
service
modernization
for
for
each
of
the
the
budget
years
of
22,
23
and
2324.
I
That
includes
11
million
dollars
in
funding
and
we
remain
committed
to
Justice
digital,
particularly
given
the
importance
of
court
and
Justice
Services
in
providing
access
to
justice
for
albertans
and
Justice.
Digital
has
been
delivering
tangible
benefits
so
far
in
areas
such
as
adjournments
traffic
filing
courtroom,
productivity,
virtual
courts,
transcripts
and
case
management.
Among
the
benefits
include
new
online
services
for
staff,
the
Judiciary
justice
system,
stakeholders
and
albertans,
but
also
adaptive
tools,
responsive
solutions
to
be
able
to
address
rising
caseloads
and
modernizing
the
justice
system.
I
Shifting
from
paper-based
systems
that
are,
quite
frankly,
dickensian,
as
the
chief
judge
described
it
to
me,
to
digital
Solutions
and
with
a
further
5.5
million
dollars,
investment
in
2324,
that's
going
to
work
to
continue
to
modernize,
outdated
processes
and
Technology,
with
a
particular
focus
on
digital
filing
and
virtual
courts,
but
as
well.
Resolving
Court
matters
in
a
timely
matter
is
is
addressed
in
other
ways
as
well.
We're
going
to
continue
to
focus
on
making
sure
that.
L
L
The
next
question
I
have
is
about
the
process
for
Recruitment
and
Retention
of
crown
prosecutors.
Can
you
speak
generally
about
it,
and
then
I
also
note
that
Justice
plans
on
adding
360
three
new
employees-
full-time
employee
note-
where
are
they
being
recruited
for
and
provide
a
breakdown
for
that
page
85,
the
and
I
got
the
use
of
Technology,
including
virtual
courts.
Digital
filings
in
adjournment
is
improving.
The
efficiency
and
effectiveness
of
justice
system,
which
is
good
Alberta
Justice,
will
continue
to
invest
in
that.
L
So
with
legislation
or
steps
we
are
talking
about,
can
you
expand
on
it
and
also?
What
do
you
mean
by
sovereignty
under
Canada's?
Constitution
Canada
is
Alberta
is
a
province
like
India,
page
87
outcome
1.3
the
court
work
with
minister
of
Public
Safety
and
emergency
services
to
review
the
delivery
of
policing
services
in
the
province,
including
further
examination
of
a
Provincial,
Police
Force.
L
So
what's
the
nature
of
your
involvement,
Justice
Department's
involvement
in
this
work
and
what's
the
progress
so
far
on
it
fitted?
If
I
have
mentions
that
the
government
plans
continuing
the
examination
of
Provincial
Police
Force,
it
is
known
to
us
that
majority
of
albertans
are
not
interested
in
the
provincial
police
force
and
do
not
want
to
transition
away
from
local
RCMP.
Detachments
I
understand
that
that
has
been
moved
to
Public
Safety.
L
Quotes
that
Robert
Justice
is
working
with
the
menacia
public
emergency
to
review
the
delivery
of
the
policing
in
the
province.
The
question
I
have
is
this:
what
program
specifically
are
under
review
at
this
point
and
will
public
have
any
opportunity
for
input
and
other
will
the
information
that
information
be
made
public
after
those
rupees.
L
L
L
Next
question
is
about
performance,
Matrix
1A,
which
sets
out
targets
for
firearm
office,
but
do
you
think
giving
more
gun
licenses
protects
albertans,
freedom
and
interests,
as
mentioned
in
your
business
plan,
since
your
government
has
now
started
mayoring
freedoms
as
well
statement
of
operation,
page
90
transfer
from
the
government
of
Canada
are
estimated
to
decrease
this
year
from
30.8
million
to
27.1
million.
So
what's
the
reason
for
that
decrease
same
page
90.
L
L
Current
third
quarter,
fiscal
spending
for
over
the
ground
prosecution
services,
it's
128
millions
and
the
government
has
committed
to
recruiting
16
more
prosecutors
in
the
coming
year.
How
does
the
government
in
intend
on
recruiting
more
prosecutors
with
an
increase
of
1
million
over
the
next
over
one
million
increase
and
also
related
question
the
World
Concern
raised
by
Crown
prosecutors
about
their
working
conditions?
L
So
what
steps
you
are
taking
to
improve
their
working
condition
on
page
89
of
the
business
plan,
it
mentions
that
1
million
will
be
used
annually
to
fund
the
Direct
Delivery
of
restorative
justice
program.
Can
you
share
more
about
the
training
who
developed
it,
how
it
was
developed
and
what
percentage
of
Justice
staff
have
been
consulted
on
this
with
stakeholder
consultation
were
there?
L
When
will
you
be
implementing
these
problems
and
Page
137?
It's
mentioned
that
75
percent
change
in
the
number
of
complaints
of
discrimination
received
by
the
Human
Rights
Commission
and
on
page
90.
Again,
there
is
an
increase
of
hundred
and
nineteen
thousand
dollars
in
a
lot
of
Human
Rights
budget.
L
On
page
88
of
the
business
plan
and
the
outcome?
Three,
it
states
and
I
quote
the
ministerial
employee
strategies
to
improve
services
and
support
to
individual
families
and
victims
to
ensure
they
are
supported
through
their
interactions
with
the
justice
system
in
the
past,
Alberton
have
been
unable
to
actually
use
the
services
in
place
to
support
them,
for
instance,
in
2020,
when
the
victim
Financial
benefit
program
was
replaced
with
an
intern
program.
L
Number
of
people
who
reached
out
and
were
not
able
to
Avail
those
Services
because
of
government
shifting
delivery
models
and
next
question
have
about
have
are
relating
to
government
of
Alberta
strategic
plan.
Page
24
of
the
plan
says
talks
about
implementing
a
pre-charge
assessment
and
says
that
it
will
reduce
the
number
of
cases
entering
the
court
system.
L
I
Time,
thank
you
Madam
chair,
so
first
I
think
we
were
talking
about
the
Staffing
of
Crown
prosecutors
and
I
got
one
number
wrong
in
my
previous
set
of
answers.
So
we
have
made
good
on
our
commitment
to
add
50
new
Crown
prosecutor
positions
by
2223
and
as
of
December
31st
of
last
year,
there's
actually
55
more
trial
process
working
for
the
acps
than
did
at
the
end
of
last
previous
government's
term,
and
we
continue
to
work
to
fill
those
vacancies
as
they
they
arise.
I
We
think
that
hiring
more
Crown
prosecutors
is
essential
to
addressing
increasing
caseloads
and
ensuring
that
viable
cases
can
proceed.
Work
continues
to
be
done
to
to
fill
existing
vacancies,
and
we've
also
been
having
ongoing
job
competitions
and
increase
the
size
of
our
articling
program
to
ultimately
grow
the
ranks
of
the
acps.
I
We
lifted
the
the
salary
freeze,
and
that
was
part
of
the
way
in
which
we
were
able
to
address
Recruitment
and
Retention
challenges
and
when
we
last
checked
in
February
that
had
dropped
to
4.2
the
the
lowest
that
any
of
us
here
at
this
table
can
remember
it
being
that
that
low,
as
I
said
before,
in
particular
under
previous
government,
it
had
been
much
higher
than
that
before.
There's
a
question
about
the
ways
in
which
technology
we
will
be
able
to
assist
those
who
are
self-represented
and
I'm
going
to
impose
on
that.
I
M
Thank
you.
Yes,
so
the
there's
been
a
big
investment
in
Justice
digital
11
million
dollars
to
deliver
new
or
enhanced
online
services,
and
a
lot
of
those
are
focused
on
self-representative
litigants
to
ensure
that
they
too
have
access
to
our
justice
system.
M
An
example
of
some
of
the
items
that
would
be
underway
to
assist
ourself
represented
litigants
would
include
our
civil
filing
Digital
Services,
which
enables
documents
of
any
type
to
be
filed
with
our
with
our
King's
bench.
Also,
our
Kingsbridge
bench,
Surrogate
Court,
is
expanding.
Its
functionalities
and
their
self
represent
represented
litigants
would
be
able
to
access
those
online
services.
Also,
work
is
commenced
on
our
Provincial
Court
Family
filing
to
build
service
to
support
self-representing,
then
against
once
again
to
help
them
when
it
comes
to
accessing
the
courts
and
with
family
law
applications.
I
Thank
you,
acting
Deputy
I'm,
going
to
jump
to
I,
think
it's
question
six,
which
had
to
do
with
the
increase
in
the
ministry
support
service
budget,
but
also
to
to
speak
to
the
first
question
related
to
the
breakdown
in
ft's.
For
that
first
question,
and
so
ADM
Smith.
If
you
don't
mind
speaking
to
to
those
questions,
while
I
give
you
the
full.
N
Thank
you
Minister
through
the
chair,
Brad
Smith,
ADM
of
financial
services
and
SFO,
the
member
asked
regarding
the
increase
in
full-time
equivalents
for
the
ministry
of
justice
that
is
shown
in
schedule
22
on
page
161
of
the
fiscal
plan,
and
yes,
it
is
a
363
million
or
363
363,
FTE
increase
and
generally
all
just
skip
through
the
the
increases
by
division.
So
the
court
and
Justice
Services
Division
133
increase
for
business
and
resolution
Services.
N
M
N
Member
asked
a
question
about
the
increase
in
Ministry
Support
Services
in
the
in
the
government,
estimates
and
overall
program.
One
Ministry,
Support
Services
is
going
up
by
about
1.5
million
dollars.
There
is
no
increase
in
element:
1.1
The
Minister's
office.
There
is
no
increase
in
element,
1.2,
the
deputy
Minister's
office.
The
increase
of
1.5
is
within
Financial
Services
element
1.3,
and
that
is
due
to
the
transfer
of
the
witness
fine
processing
from
the
Alberta
Crown
prosecution
services
to
the
financial
services
division.
N
I
You
for
the
third
question
I'm
going
to
ask
the
member
to
to
repeat
that
question.
Madam
chair
this
was
related
to
property
rights.
So
perhaps,
if
you
could
ask
that
question
again,
as
I
may
not
have
understood
what
that
question
was
was
regarding
the
continue
investigation
of
Alberta
provincials,
sorry
Alberta,
Police
Service.
I
My
the
first
part
of
my
answer
would
be
to
remind
everyone
that,
because
I
think
I
hear
a
lot
of
folks
using
the
phrase
Alberta
police
force.
It's
really
important
to
remember
that
a
police
service
is
actually
the
correct
terminology
because
of
service
that
falls
under
the
police
act
here
in
Alberta,
as
opposed
to
a
parliament
paramilitary
Force,
which,
admittedly
the
RCMP
is,
and
those
are
two
different
models
of
a
policing
agency
to
be
deployed
out
into
the
community
to
protect
our
communities
and
they're
very
different
models
on
how
to
to
best
police.
I
Second
I
point
out
that,
as
has
been
said
by
the
the
minister
of
pieces,
Minister
Ellis,
that
we
are
not
proceeding,
but
that
doesn't
mean
that
we
have
to
stop
looking
at
the
question
Madam,
chair
and
I.
Think
that's
that's.
What
keeps
on
being
missed
by
our
friend's
opposite
is
that
they
they're
expecting
this.
This
conversation
to
end
or
here's,
the
surprising
thing
for
me
when
it
comes
to
this
issue,
is
that
they
want
this
to
be
a
partisan
issue.
But
it's
not.
I
We
see
the
NDP
in
British
Columbia
and
not
even
just
the
government
NDP
in
British
Columbia,
looking
at
a
police
service
in
BC
to
replace
contract
policing
with
the
RCMP,
but
we
see
an
all-party
Committee
of
NDP
greens
and
liberals
coming
up
with
a
report
recommending
and
getting
out
of
contract
policing.
So
this
isn't
a
partisan
issue
as
hard
as
our
friends
here
in
the
Alberta
NDP
would
like
us
to
believe
it's
not
Saskatchewan.
I
Looking
at
getting
out,
New
Brunswick,
Nova,
Scotia,
I
think
everybody
other
than
Manitoba
is
investigating
this,
and
it's
it's
also
something
that
the
federal
government
has
said
before.
They
want
out
of
the
liability
of
the
subsidy
for
contract
policing
and
they
want
police
services
to
be
implemented
in
the
provinces.
They
wanted
this.
I
I
L
You
think
I
was
asking
about
that
preacher's
assessment
process,
so
the
question
I
have
is
that
if
this
is
all
charges
that
seems
hard
to
implement,
are
they
going
to
have
someone
on
call
all
night
and
weekends
like
how.
L
L
L
L
What
will
be
whatever
will
be
spent
on
code
and
Justice
Services
page
150
line
2.1,
it
was
budgeted
for
32
million
forecasts
has
gone
up
to
40
million,
and
now
it's
increased
to
48
million
was
the
reason
for
this
increase
and
what
information
and
education
services
are
included
in
it
page
150
line
2.2
there
is
a
slight
increase
for
Family
Sport
oral
services,
so
question
I
have
is:
are
we
seeing
increasing
case
load
there?
10
feet
tend
to
be
more
self
represented
individual
in
court.
L
So
is
this
going
to
address
this
issue
to
improve
access
to
Justice
regarding
maintenance
enforcement?
What's
the
workload
like
how
many
employees
are
there
now
has
the
case
stored
per
person
increased?
If
so,
how
are
you
addressing
that,
because
I
also
hear
that
there
are
delays
for
our
clients
to
get
in
touch
with
map
program
to
Simply
register
their
sport
orders
next
question
I
have,
is
that
was
the
case
law
like
for
child
support
and
is
there
any
increase
in
delays
of
payments?
L
There
is
an
increase
in
I,
believe
that
you
explained
that
there
will
be
a
140,
more
Clerks
that
will
be
included.
If
that's
the
case,
you
can
you
can
why
we
need
that
many
client
what
other
positions
will
be
funded
through
these
increases
with
respect
to
Legal
Services
page
150
line
3.1
there's
a
substantial
increase
from
40
million
to
57
million,
so
question
I
have
is:
is
your
department
involved
in
providing
legal
advice
more
often,
unless
government
involved
in
more
cases
now?
L
Again,
I
asked
these
questions
before
will
ask
again
that
what
Assurance
can
you
give
Overton
that
Crown
Prosecutor
Office
remains
independent
of
any
political
interference,
because
we
have
previous
comment
on
racket
to
have
talked
to
them
twice
twice:
what's
the
status
of
vacant,
possession
I
think
you're
addressed
it
with
respect
to
Jordan
delays.
There
was
also
a
strike
by
a
defense
lawyer
over
inadequate
legal
funding,
legal
aid
funding
and
cuts.
L
How
that
strike,
impacted
delays
in
all
courts.
How
many
cases
were
state?
A
charges
were
drawn
due
to
the
strike,
was
access
to
Justice
interrupted
as
a
result
of
that
strike,
and
how
do
we
modify
that
and
the
impact
of
the
charges
State,
whether
or
on
the
complainants,
who
often
waited
years
to
see
answer
from
the
court?
L
L
L
It's
a
new
line
item
and
has
7.7
million
question
I
have
is
what
will
be?
What
will
it
be
spent
on,
and
also
you
reverse
the
changes
you
made
to
traffic
ports,
whoever
needed
now
in
another
related
question
is
that
there
used
to
be
Crown
prosecutors
at
the
first
appearance
for
traffic
matters
who
declined
with
Doctor
to
resolve
the
matter
this
year,
government
got
let
off
when
you
implemented
the
online
traffic
system,
and
now
that
you
have
reversed
that
change,
the
crowns
are
no
longer
there.
How
come
and
reverse
all
those
changes.
L
Tell
us
how
many
employees
are
there
and
how
many
more
will
be
added
through
this
budget
5.3
there
is
an
increase,
it
is
for
a
new
office
in
Edmonton.
Can
you
explain
a
little
bit
more
that
increase
chief
of
firearm
office
budget
is
going
up
substantially,
how
many
employees
are
currently
there
and
how
many
more
you
are
planning
at
adding
5.5
we're
seeing
an
increase
for
legal
aid,
but
it's
still
may
not
be
in
line
with
2018
governance
agreement.
L
Will
the
eligibility
for
legal
aid
change
there
any
plans?
There
was
a
strike
over
inadequate
legal
funding.
How
many
legal
aid
certificates
were
rejected
during
that
and
for
what
offenses
defense
lawyers
stopped
taking
serious
piles
in
September,
including
homicide,
sexual
assault
and
gun
related
charges?
Is
there
any
investigation
into
the
delays
that
were
caused
by
this?
L
What
was
and
is
the
impact
of
these
delays
on
access
to
justice
for
the
complainant,
timely
Justice
right
now
to
be
denied
bills
without
just
cause
section
11
e,
due
to
the
strike
there
were
accused,
who
were
not
able
to
exercise
their
right
and
bail,
was
delayed
as
they
could
not
hire
defense
lawyer
by
legal
aid.
Do
you
know
how
many
bail
hearings
were
delayed?
Are
there.
L
Also,
is
your
office
in
ongoing
discussion
with
cdla
and
other
Organization
for
the
remaining
concerns
they
raised
with
respect
to
Legal
Aid?
Also,
the
government
projected
Surplus.
They
had
the
resources.
Why
didn't
they?
Why
did
they
cut
legal
aid
and
what
was
the
reason
for
the
delayed
response
and
relief
for
that
in
response
to
that
strike?
How
much
time
do
I
have?
B
Now
to
to
hear
from
him
first
final
10
block
with
the
opposition.
I
Sure,
thank
you,
madam
chair.
Maybe
I'll
pick
up
at
the
next
question
that
I
I
had
from
the
previous
block,
which
was
questions
related.
I
I
then
thank
you,
madam
chair
I
I
was
looking
forward
to
answering
all
these
great
questions.
I.
Thank
you,
the
member
for
asking
so
many
questions
and
look
forward
to
answering
as
much
as
I
can
at
my
my
next
opportunity.
J
J
J
I
want
to
start
on
the
business
plan,
page
85.,
the
ministry's,
Mandate
and
structure.
It
will
also
Advance
work
to
constitutionally
entrance
the
protection
of
property
rights,
very,
very
good,
to
see
I'm
just
wondering
in
the
millions
of
dollars
that
you're
spending
how
much
will
be
dedicated
to
this
and
what
kind
of
matrixes
you're
modeling
for
for
what
success
or
what?
What's?
Failure?
So
I'd
appreciate
your
your
thoughts
on
that.
J
Of
course,
the
the
Justice
said
something
like
a
reasonable
person
could
have
come
to
a
different
conclusion
in
the
emerging
exact
I'm
wondering
again
what
resources
the
people
of
Alberta
are
putting
through
your
ministry
to
to
ensure
that
our
freedoms
are
protected
in
Canada
next
I
want
to
move
on
to
rural
crime
and
and
effectiveness
of
the
money.
J
You're
spending
I
believe
a
30
increase
you,
you
indicated
152
million
dollars
more
over
last
year's
budget
that
you're
that
you're
spending
30,
of
course,
is
far
far
in
excess
of
population
increase
in
Alberta
and
and
increase.
I
know
that
your
government
this
year
is
spending
68
billion.
You
know
my
goodness
when
I
was
elected
11
years
ago,
I
think
the
government
spent
42
billion
and
I
think
our
NDP
government's
high
water
mark
was
55
billion,
so
152
million
dollar
increase.
J
I
I
appreciated
your
remarks
throughout
the
the
first
hour
and
the
questions
from
the
NDP,
and
it
sounded
like
to
me
a
lot
of
it
was
going
to
timely
updating
the
I.T
system
and
possibly
some
deferred
or
Antiquated
money
on
on
courts
and
infrastructure.
But
I
get
a
little
concerned
Minister
when
I
wonder
we're
spending
an
additional
152
million.
Are
we
sure
we're
getting
value
for
this
and
what
matrixes
are
we
using?
And
what
I'm
looking
at
is
in
your
last
year's
business
plan,
your
performance
metrics
one
and
a
and,
of
course
I.
J
Don't
expect
you
you
to
have
this,
but
your
first
performance
indicator
was
Alberta
violent
crime
rate
and
Alberta
property
crime
rate
in
both
urban
and
rural
Alberta,
and
my
goodness,
the
crime
rate
in
rural
Alberta
was
considerably
higher
than
an
urban
Alberta
per
100
000
a
population
Minister
I'm
a
bit
surprised
to
see
that
that
Matrix
isn't
in
this
year's
business
plan.
Have
we
abandoned
that
as
a
way
to
check
the
effectiveness
of
our
legal
system
and
protecting
albertans
or
where
the
number's
not
available?
J
J
Rural
crime,
I
I
I,
want
to
talk
there
for
a
sec.
You
know
sometimes
in
our
rural
counties,
areas
300
miles
by
400
miles,
they'll
only
be
one
or
two
RCMP
cars
out
covering
the
whole
District,
absolutely
impossible
to
get
three
or
four
hours
away
in
a
timely
basis,
especially
when,
when
hard-working
police
Personnel
are
working
very
very
hard.
So
so
it's
one
of
the
one
of
the
things
that
we
need.
J
A
strong
performance
Matrix
for
I
do
want
it
and
I
do
appreciate
your
answers
about
the
police,
service
and
I
want
to
want
to
focus
on
that
for
a
second
I
see
that
again
on
page
85,
under
the
ministry
mandate
and
structure,
further
examination
of
the
Alberta
Police
Service
Minister
I
want
to
suggest
to
you
there's
a
bit
of
a
disconnect.
When
I
talked
to
rural
albertans
to
a
man
and
a
woman,
they
sure
appreciate
the
work
that
that
RCMP
individual
officers
do,
but
they
know
that
the
system
is
broken.
J
They
know
that
often
it's
it's
hard
to
accountability,
stick
and
they're
in
favor
they're
in
favor
of
looking
at
different
ways
to
protect
them
and
their
families,
including
an
Alberta
Police
Service
I
will
say
that
it
seems
like
Municipal
politicians,
maybe
feel
not
as
strong
that
way,
but
I
wonder
Minister
if
they're
concerned
about
the
cost
and,
of
course,
a
good,
a
good
local
politician,
a
good
politician
should
be
concerned
about
what
they're
going
to
have
to
do
do
about
the
cost
so
Minister,
if
you
could
take
a
few
seconds
or
and
talk
about
what
what
your
government
will
do
to
ensure
that
the
hardship
on
municipalities,
if
we
do
change,
won't,
won't
be
too
severe
so
fake.
J
Thank
you.
In
our
fall
session,
the
newly
established
Bill
six,
the
police
review
commission
having
Edmonton
having
the
provincial
government
reach
into
local
police
commissions
and
have
involvement.
J
For
what
Bill
six
the
police
review
commission
are
going
to
cost
the
taxpayer
of
Alberta.
So
if
you
could
could
discuss
that,
I
would
appreciate
it.
Crown
prosecutors
for
Alberta
pill
court
and
for
the
Kings
bench,
cord
I,
sure
appreciate
your
answers.
I
sure
appreciate
that
I
believe
the
number
was
55
new
Crown
prosecutors
and
some
new
hirings
for
those
Judiciary
positions.
Absolutely
that
was
one
of
the
bottlenecks
where
you
know
too
often
time
was
delayed
and
too
often
Justice
was
was
delayed.
J
So
I'd
like
to
hear
you
speak
about
two
things,
though
55
new
ones.
Is
there
a
our
payments
to
to
these
professionals,
and
these
hard
workers
are.
We
are
we
in
the
ballpark
with
other
provinces?
Are
we
in
the
ballpark
with
other
jurisdictions,
or
are
we
trip
air,
but
especially
Minister
I'm,
wondering
about
making
sure
that
we
get
them
out
to
mid-size
urban
communities
and
Rural
Alberta
and
I
mean
again
I
I
heard
some
things
about
about
some
online
Justice
opportunities?
J
If
you,
if
you
take
20
or
30
seconds,
to
talk
about
that
a
bit
more
I'd
appreciate
it
because
I
do
know
in
large
parts
of
rural
Alberta
where
internet
is
still
a
huge
problem.
After
all
these
years,
access
to
to
the
justice
system
is
is
as
big
a
problem
or
bigger,
key
and
I.
Think
my
last
question
in
your
ministry
business
plan
2020
324
on
page
90..
We
see
the
ministry
of
Justice
you're
collecting
27
million
in
federal
transfers.
You
you
had
budgeted
or
asked
for
more
I'm
I'm.
Supposing
please
Minister?
J
Can
you
tell
me
what
this
money
is
is
being
used
for?
Is
there
some
disagreement
with
with
Ottawa
as
to
what
is
Alberta's
fair
share
or
as
to
what
the
focus
of
this
this
this
money
should
be
and
yeah
I.
J
B
So
we
have
10
minutes
blocked
now
for
the
minister
to
respond
and
after
we're
done
with
your
response,
Minister
we're
going
to
pause
for
a
coffee
break
and
please
proceed.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
through
you
to
the
member
for
the
questions.
I'll
begin
with
the
concerns
that
he
had
about
the
ways
in
which
government
can
step
up
to
support
the
freedoms
of
albertans
and
the
the
pioch,
the
resources
that
were
spent
there.
That
work
was
done.
We
we
did
as
a
province.
We
were.
We
were
a
party
to
the
the
commission
and
did
make
submissions
and
participated
in
the
commission's
work.
That's
that
was
done
by
a
group
of
our
hard-working
LSD
lawyers.
I
Thanks
go
out
to
them.
I
thought
they
did
a
fantastic
job
in
participating
in
the
commission's
work.
Asking
questions
and
making
submissions
on
behalf
of
all
albertans
I
should
also
say-
and
maybe
I
should
have
said
this
off
the
top
I
think
perhaps
accidentally.
I
A
lot
of
the
questions
are
that
were
asked
by
the
member
or
perhaps
best
addressed
by
the
minister
of
pieces,
I
I'm,
because
the
ministry
was
split,
the
policy
and
correction
side,
the
soul,
gen
side
of
the
ministry
has
gone
to
the
public
safety
Ministry,
the
new
ministry,
the
minister
Ellis,
is
now
the
the
minister
of
and
I
think
an
example
would
be
for
the
the
police
review
commission,
the
cost
for
Bill
six.
I
The
reason
that
they're
not
in
this
budget
is
because
that
would
then
go
to
the
PSIs
Ministry
and
be
included
in
in
their
budget,
and
maybe
I'll
say
this,
even
though
real
crime
and
some
of
the
the
questions
related
to
that
perhaps
fall
to
to
be
answered
by
Miss,
Rellis
I
think
is
really
important
for
us
to
also
highlight
that
a
big
part
of
why
we've
seen
significant
increases
in
in
crime
in
in
rural
Alberta
or
Alberta
in
general,
since
2019
can
be
attributed
to
some
of
the
changes
that
the
federal
government
made
in
2019
through
a
bill
called
bill
c-75.
I
So,
as
we
know
the
federal
government,
they
have
the
sole
jurisdiction,
the
the
criminal
code.
It's
through
the
criminal
code
that
the
rules
of
whether
you
broke
a
crime,
how
long
you're
sentenced
for
whether
you
get
bail
or
not
all
those
rules
are
going
to
be
found
in
the
criminal
code.
Now
Bill
c-75
rewrote
the
bail
regime
and
the
point
that
the
federal
government
was
trying
to
make
at
that
time
was
trying
to
reduce
the
number
of
bypoc
offenders
that
we
saw
being
incarcerated.
I
A
noble,
noble
cause
to
to
try
and
and
be
able
to
develop
that
legislation.
But
what
we've
seen
for
for
all
provinces
is
unsafe
communities.
We've
seen
increases
of
crime,
in
particular
in
rural
areas
throughout
the
country.
This
was
a
topic
that
I
raised
at
the
last
conference
that
we
had
the
fpt
of
justice
and
Public
Safety
ministers
in
October
I
raised
this
and
was
really
appreciative
to
hear
other
provinces
from
BC,
Saskatchewan,
Manitoba,
Ontario,
New,
Brunswick,
say
gosh.
Us
too.
I
We're
also
seeing
this
and
I
think
once
the
federal
government
saw
that
it
was,
it
wasn't
a
partisan
issue.
It
wasn't
just
conservatives
in
Alberta,
but
it
was
also
the
NDP
and
BC
saying
this
is
a
real
big
problem.
You
guys
got
it
wrong
in
BLC
75
that
we
are
seeing
increases
in
crime
in
our
rural
communities
too.
I
I
I
think
that's
why
the
federal
government
has
called
for
this
conference
this
next
weekend
or
this
week,
where
Minister,
Ellis
and
I
will
be
going
to
Ottawa
to
be
talking
about
Bill
reform
and
one
of
the
the
pitches
I'm
going
to
be
making
to
other
provinces
and
to
the
feds
is
that
we
really
do
need
to
go
back
to
the
way
things
were
before
c
375
because
of
the
goal
of
c75
was
to
to
reduce
the
number
of
bypoc
offenders
we
saw
being
incarcerated.
I
I
This
is
my
take
I
think
we
have
to
have
sentencing
and
and
rules
related
to
bail,
bail
bills
applicable
to
most
folks
who
are
accused
of
a
crime.
We
should
be
presumed
innocent
until
proven
guilty,
but
there
are
ways
or
sometimes
circumstances
where
it's
appropriate
for
pre-trial
custody.
For
someone
who's.
A
repeat
offender
or
someone
who's
been
accused
of
a
violent
or
serious
crime.
I
So
that's
going
to
be
one
of
the
pitches
that
I
make
when,
when
I
go
with
with
Minister
Ellis
to
to
Ottawa,
then
your
question
is
sorry
manager
through
you
to
the
member
the
question
as
well,
but
the
increase
in
the
the
loss
of
the
metric
related
to
a
violent
crime.
Why
is
that
metric
missing
again?
That's
because
the
the
ministry's
been
split
into
that
would
be
more
applicable
to
be
included
in
in
the
pieces.
Ministries
budget.
I
There
are
questions
about
the
cost
of
the
RCMP
I
mean,
even
though
that
falls
to
minister
Alice
to
answer.
Maybe
I'll
just
generally
say
that
the
total
amount
that
would
be
spent
if
there
was
to
be
another
Police
Service
according
device
that
we've
received
would
actually
be
marginally
less
than
the
total
amount
that
is
spent
on
contract
placing
right
now.
But
there
is
a
question
because
you're
I
think
the
question
Madam
chair
from
the
member
is
what
are
municipal
politicians,
nervous
about
increased
costs
for
them
and
and
I
think
there's
two
sides
of
that.
I
Our
commitment
to
them
was
that
there
would
be
no
increase
in
cost
to
Municipal,
to
to
municipalities
and
I
think
there's
ways
in
which
can
be
done
through
the
the
police
funding
model
and
making
a
commitment
and
continuing
to
use
the
2018
numbers
as
the
basis
right
or
or
having
an
mpsa
with
a
municipality.
That's
large
enough
to
have
an
mpsa
and
having
a
formula
that
works
and
makes
a
commitment.
That's
not
going
to
be
increased
costs
on
them.
I
But
the
question
the
other
side
of
the
question
is:
is
there
an
increased
cost
for
albertans
for
losing
the
subsidy
from
the
federal
government?
That's
a
good
question.
The
hard
part,
though,
is
that
in
the
last
couple
years
the
federal
government
keeps
on
increasing
the
cost
of
the
current
contract.
They've
increased
it
by
20
so
far
and
they're
going
to
increase
it
by
at
least
another
20
in
the
near
future.
I
So,
there's
a
benefit
in
even
though
there's
a
subsidy
that
won't
be
lost
in
actually
being
able
to
control
the
denominator
and
how
much
is
being
spent
on
policing
and
to
the
point
that
the
member
made
Madam
chair
about
rule
policing
having
civilian
oversight
over
the
deployment
of
resources.
We
have
113
detachments
to
the
province,
but
how
many
of
them
I
think
it's
42
percent
have
less
than
10
members
in
their
Detachment.
I
You
could
say:
look
we're
going
to
fewer
officers
sitting
behind
a
desk
in
Edmonton
and
actually
being
deployed
out
in
the
community,
so
we're
going
to
have
a
minimum,
viable
Detachment
size
of
10.,
for
example,
so
some
40,
doubling
or
tripling
in
size,
because
we
would
have
a
say
on
where
resources
would
be
sent
out
into
the
province
and
I.
Think
that's
that's
an
important
side
of
it.
I
When
you
think
about
that
question
for
Minister
Alice
to
to
be
wrapping
your
head
around
for
the
federal
transfers,
sorry
ADM,
Smith
I'm,
going
to
jump
to
that
question
and
maybe
put
you
on
the
spot,
while
I
think
about
the
other
questions
harass
me.
N
Thank
you
Minister
through
the
chair,
the
member
asked
for
what
was
included
in
the
transfers
from
the
government
of
Canada.
As
noted
on
page
90
of
our
business
plan,
there
is
27.1
million
dollars
estimated
for
the
23-24
year.
I
The
next
question
I
have
Madam
chair
from
the
member,
is
related
to
the
crown
and
about
their
their
salaries,
but
also
how
we're
recruiting
folks
to
to
real
Alberta
first
I'll.
Take
on
the
question
about
salaries.
I
think
was
a
question
about
whether
they're
Fair,
whether
they're
comparable.
The
answer
is
yes
now
not
going
back
to
last
February
and
I.
Think
that
was
the
concern
that
akka
had
with
with
the
salaries
that
there
was
a
salary
freeze
and
and
I.
I
There
was
an
investigation
that
we
had
internally
about
whether
what
was
our
turnover
rate
and
what
was
what
was
leading
to
the
high
turnover
rate
that
we
had
a
much
higher
turnover
rate
than
other
provinces
have
with
their
prosecutors,
and
there
were
concerns
that
it
might
be
attributed
the
Recruitment
and
Retention
issues
related
to
a
differential
in
in
compensation
for
for
the
crown,
and
we
looked
at
because
usually
we're
losing,
or
we
were
at
the
time
losing
Crown
to
the
the
federal
Crown
prosecution
service
or
BCR
Ontario.
I
So
those
are
probably
the
most
comparable
to
look
at
and
we've
now
brought
ourselves
to
the
middle
of
the
pack,
but
also
with
all
the
other
advantages
that
we
have
in
Alberta,
like
a
low
tax
rate,
Federal
Center
of
living
we've
now
been
able
to
really
reduce
those
challenges
that
we
had
with
Recruitment
and
Retention
because
of
that,
so
we're
not
we're
not
the
highest,
but
we
brought
it
to
at
least
being
comparable
so
that
we
don't
have
those
same
issues
that
we
had
and
bring
it
down.
Oh
thank.
J
Mid
touch
on
property
rights
in
the
Canadian
Constitution.
Please.
I
Quickly,
that's
way
two
seconds
well
I
mean
the
the
I
would
say
that
we
We
are
continuing
to
work
with
stakeholder
groups
throughout
Alberta
to
be
able
to
hear
from
them.
We've
we've
taken
great
strides
in
being
able
to
entrench
I'm.
B
A
A
A
A
B
B
B
B
Thank
you
for
20
minutes
of
questions
from
the
members.
Would
you
like
to
combine
your
time
with
the
minister.
E
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question.
So
all
three
courts
have
faced
increased
volumes
over
the
years
as
the
population
and
the
province
has
increased
by
almost
five
percent.
Since
2016.,
increased
population
has
a
direct
impact
on
the
workloads
in
the
justice
system
for
all
three
levels
of
court
and
we've
also
seen
an
increase
in
law
enforcement.
I
The
prosecutors
and
the
Judiciary
courtroom
time
and
the
complexity
of
matters
and
the
increase
of
self-represented
litigants
have
also
had
an
impact
on
workloads
and
case
volumes.
All
three
courts
have
advocated
for
increased
services
and
supports
for
family
and
civil
matters
to
alleviate
pressures
in
the
court
system.
I
I
think
bench
I
think
40
percent
of
their
their
matters
are
are
going
to
be
a
family
matter
so
first
beginning
with
the
Alberta
court
of
justice,
what
we
used
to
call
the
the
Provincial
Court
they're
they're,
providing
services
to
the
entire
Province
they're
responsible
for
for
timely
resolutions
and
not
just
criminal
and
civil
and
but
also
Family
Matters,
as
I
mentioned
throughout
the
province
and
they're
also
handling
traffic
violations.
I
The
vast
majority
of
criminal
and
Regulatory
offenses
here
in
the
province,
and
they
they
hear
civil
cases
up
to
fifty
thousand
dollars
right
now,
as
well
as
the
Family
Youth
and
Child
Protection
matters.
They
do
fatality
inquiries,
they
they
also
run
the
provincial
hearing
office
and
they're
they're
sitting
in
72
communities
across
the
province,
21
base
courts
and
51
circuit
per
Court
points
and
the
lead
times
for
criminal
matters
have
increased
since
prior
to
the
pandemic.
I
So
without
any
new
resolutions,
a
trickle-down
effect
was
felt
on
family
and
silver
matters,
which
now
face
even
longer:
delays,
increased
Court
appearances,
longer
court,
dockets,
more
data
entry,
higher
turnover
rates
of
Staff
increase
self,
representing
litigants
as
I
mentioned,
all
create
a
demand
on
that
that
core,
the
Alberta
court
of
justice,
and
so
now
we
have
20.4
million
dollars
in
additional
funding
in
the
budget
budget
23.,
and
that
funding
will
provide
for
new
judicial
positions.
New
court
clerks
include
proved
as
well
improved
clerk
education.
I
The
budget
also
provides
for
specialized
courts.
So
this
would
be
the
mental
health
court,
the
drug
treatment
courts,
The
Domestic,
Violence
Court
as
well.
The
indigenous
courts,
which
are
are
doing
amazing,
work
through
the
province
and
these
courts
are
proven
to
be
effective
in
combating
recidivism,
but
they
are
more
resource
intensive.
So
part
of
the
reason,
as
well,
for
the
increased
demands
in
investing
in
that
level
of
court.
I
Now,
the
court
of
Kings
bench
and
with
the
41
and
a
half
million
dollar
budget,
which
is
359,
FTS
they're,
providing
services
for
the
entire
Province
they
operate
in
11
judicial
centers,
through
registry
Services,
support
services
for
the
court
court,
clerks
jury
management,
exhibits
management
and
fine
processing
and
as
the
Superior
Court
here
in
Alberta,
with
the
power
to
try
indictable
offenses
so,
for
example,
murder
and
sexual
assault
Etc.
I
They
they
have
joint
jurisdiction
as
well
with
the
Provincial
Court
and
other
criminal
offenses
so,
and
the
the
demands
that
they
have
on
civil
proceedings.
So
like
commercial,
surrogate
matters,
personal
injury,
bankruptcy,
insolvency
cases,
litigation
of
wills
and
Estates
the
The
increased
volume.
The
complexity
of
cases,
the
backlogs
in
filing
court
documents
increases
in
court
sittings,
high
staff
turnover
rates
we
needed
to
get
criminal
cases
through
the
system
to
complete,
under
the
the
time
limitations
that
is
set
out
in
the
Jordan
decision
and
as
well.
I
There's
also
been
a
significant
increase
in
jury
trials
here
in
the
province
as
more
and
more
accused
are
electing
to
be
Tried
by
jury,
so
that
six
million
dollar
increase
in
funding
in
budget
23
will
fund
new
judicial
positions.
New
court
clerks
improved
education
as
well,
just
like
previously
with
the
court
of
justice
and
funding
for
off-site
juries
and
then
the
court
of
appeal.
We
have
a
budget
of
eight
million
dollars
for
68
ftes,
that's
350,
000
of
additional
funding
and
budget
23.
I
That's
going
to
address
Staffing
challenges
to
ensure
funding
is
available
for
increase
increases
in
support
staff,
so,
for
example,
judicial
assistance,
legal
counsel,
articling
students
which
are
all
paid
for
by
the
province
and
then
the
overall
budget
for
Budget
23
will
enable
us
to
hire
an
additional
140
Court
clerks
across
the
province
to
Porter
courtrooms
to
process
the
traffic
tickets
and
fines
and
serve
the
public
at
the
front
counters.
E
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
Mr.
Thank
you,
chair
next
question
here
then,
we
have
all
read
about
the
demands
and
backlogs
that
court
system
across
the
country
for
a
while,
now
page
9
of
talks
about
our
government's
plan
to
add
more
funding
to
increase
capacity
and
ensure
timely
access
to
the
justice
system
for
albertans
view
of
that
I
have
a
couple
of
questions
here.
I
Thank
you,
Madam,
chair
and
through
to
the
the
member
so
that
43.7
million
dollars
that
the
the
member
mentioned
Madam
chair
will
be
used
to
address
some
of
the
operational
pressures
and
backlogs
in
in
a
few
ways.
First,
the
additional
funding
for
the
Alberta
court
of
justice
will
allow
that
that
hiring
of
the
additional
140
new
court
clerks
in
our
courtrooms
to
increase
capacity
to
manage
our
courtrooms
process,
fines
and
tickets.
I
That
underway
and
expected
to
accelerate
in
in
the
courts
additional
funding
of
over
five
million
dollars
to
enhance
family
resolution
services
such
as
pre-court
assessment
mediation,
the
the
family
court,
counselors
and
parenting
intervention
programs
is
really
important,
as
well
all
so
increased
capacity
for
our
contact
centers
and
these
family
resolution.
I
Services
help
to
mitigate
the
backlog
in
the
justice
system
by
allowing
albertans
to
resolve
a
dispute
outside
of
the
courts
before
it
has
to
hit
the
courtroom
so
budget
23
funds
over
20
new
resolution
service
positions
to
support
best
interests
of
the
child
and
lessen
the
hardships
between
separating
parties.
Budget
23
also
invests
in
additional
5.4
million
dollars
in
courtroom
technology
services
to
update
the
technology.
That's
in
the
courts,
digital
filing
virtual
courts,
improved
technology.
Those
are
all
tools
for
the
staff
that
will
help
to
improve
the
operations
and
to
address
the
backlogs
I.
Think.
I
The
next
question
was
about
the
number
of
ftes
created
and
there
there
are
47
new
FTE
positions
that
will
be
created
in
the
courts
for
Staffing
23
of
those
will
be
in
the
Alberta
court
of
justice.
The
rest
24
will
be
in
the
court
of
King's
bench
and
those
new
FTS
will
be
filled
with
court,
clerks,
Jas
or
judicial
assistance.
Legal
counsel
as
well-
and
there
are
new
judicial
positions
as
well
being
created
in
the
Alberta
court
of
justice.
I
And
so
we
continue
to
advocate
for
funding
from
the
federal
government
for
two
new
judicial
positions
in
the
court
of
Kings
bench,
one.
We
would
like
to
see
in
Red
Deer
and
one
in
J
in
Grand,
Prairie
and
one
position
as
well
in
the
court
of
appeal.
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
E
Go
to
my
final
question
Madam
chair
now,
so
the
court
system
have
been
significantly
challenged
as
a
result,
a
covid-19
pandemic,
leading
in
some
instances
to
utilizing
new
technologies.
E
At
the
same
time,
it
has
been
a
priority
of
Alberta's
Justice
for
many
years
to
modernize.
The
court
system
use
our
technology.
Can
you
tell
us
how
much
funding
in
court
and
Justice
Services
will
be
allocated
to
modernize
the
course
and
I
know?
You
talked
a
little
bit
right
on
that
to
modernize
the
code
and
how
that
will
change
how
the
average
Alberton
interacts
with
the
justice
system
in
this
province.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
to
the
member
for
the
questions
so
Justice
digital
is
a
program.
That's
focused
on
digitizing
court
processes,
I
I,
joked
about
you,
know,
chief
judge
Redmond
and
referring
to
the
the
paper-based
systems
that
we
have
now
in
the
courses
being
dickensian,
but
just
as
digital
is
focusing
on
digitizing
core
processes
creating
easier
and
timelier
access
for
users,
including
the
public
and
in
2324
Justice.
I
Digital
received
11
million
dollars
to
develop
new
services,
including
digital
filing
services,
for
the
quarter,
Kings
bench,
family
and
divorce,
the
king's
bench,
civil
filing
and
Kings
bench
surrogate,
as
well
as
the
Alberta
court
of
justice.
Family
additional
services
for
courtroom
and
judicial
scheduling
are
also
planned,
along
with
expansions
and
upgrades
to
Virtual
courts,
benefits
that
we
will
see
from
Justice.
Digital
include
quite
a
few
items.
One
would
be
courtroom
digital
service
and
through
this
over
700
000,
digital
adjournments
and
27
reduction
in
processing.
I
Time
next
example
would
be
traffic
ticket
digital
service,
that's
eliminated
around
9
500
visits
to
courts,
houses
and
that
saves
about
a
thousand
clerks
hours
per
month.
I
The
a
German
digital
service
that
takes
about
65
percent,
less
clerk
time
per
adjournment,
surrogate
digital
service,
that's
reduced
processing,
Times
by
90
percent
from
six
months
into
12
days
now,
so
that's
been
a
real
success
in
in
Justice
digital
filing
digital
service,
civil
that
saved
15
000
hours
of
clerk
time
in
his
first
year
and
the
quarter
Kings
bench,
commercial,
civil
list
or
sorry
commercial
list.
I
On
top
of
that
that
5.4
million
dollars
they'll
be
used
for
core
technology
services
to
improve
technology
supports
and
replace
aging
equipment
upgrades
will
support
the
expansion
of
virtual
courts
and
the
creation
of
faster,
more
streamlined
processes
and
virtual
courts
are
also
expanding
the
ability
for
vulnerable
folks,
like
children
or
or
victims
to
appear
in
court
without
having
to
face
the
accused
in
person.
D
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
to
the
minister
and
your
team
for
being
here
for
encouraging
the
use
of
modernizing
technology
that
you're
just
referencing,
so
really
happy
to
hear
that
my
questions
are
with
respect
to
Legal
Services
and
how
they
relate
to
line
items
three
to
three
point:
three
within
the
budget
for
your
reference
and
which
is
is
where
we
fund
the
civil
law,
legislative,
Council
and
law
reform
areas
within
your
budget
Minister
cumulatively,
through
the
chair,
accumulate
these
amounts.
D
This
amounts
to
an
increase
of
approximately
20
million
dollars
a
significant
amount
so
happy
to
see
that
we'll
leave
these
line
items
are
perhaps
not
headline
grabbing
and
and
not
necessarily
a
larger
part
of
the
budget.
We
know
that
this
area
of
justice
is
integral
to
the
functioning
of
government
and
to
make
sure
that
your
systems
behind
the
justice
system
are
functioning
at
the
highest
possible
level.
D
Be
very
helpful
if
you
can
elaborate
on
the
necessity
of
the
funding
increases
with
the
legal
services
in
the
civil
law
office
and
why
we
are
seeing
these
increases
this
year
and
what
type
of
legal
services
are
supported
through
this
funding
to
government
of
Alberta
Ministries,
and
how
this
is
going
to
impact
the
improvements
of
the
services
that
you're
going
to
continue
on
to
offer
for
all
brands.
I
Well,
that's
a
great
question
because
those
those
folks
in
civil
law,
as
well
as
ledge,
counselor,
lco
they're,
providing
solicitor,
Services
litigation
services
and
in
lco
ledge
drafting
services
to
government
and
can't
thank
those
those
folks
enough
for
doing
all
that
work,
not
not
just
those
who
are
Injustice,
because
many
of
them
are
embedded
with
their
client
Ministries
and
doing
all
that
amazing,
hard
work
and
my
things
go
to
them.
So
legal
services
that
are
provided
by
civil
Crown
Council
include
appearing
before
the
courts
in
a
matter
that
might
involve
Child
Protection.
I
Defending
claims
brought
against
the
government
providing
constitutional
and
Aboriginal
advice
defending
our
provincial
jurisdiction
in
certain
circumstances,
drafting
all
of
the
bills,
all
the
regs
that
that
come
before,
either
the
legislature
or
or
cabinet,
providing
legal
advice
to
all
the
Departments.
As
I
mentioned,
like
all
those
folks
who
are
embedded
in
the
client
departments
and
including
those
departments
responsible
for
responding
to
emergencies
and
matters
that
are
addressed
by
civil
Crown,
Council
have
increased
not
just
in
volume,
but
also
in
complexity.
I
Over
the
last
few
years,
the
current
pace
and
volume
of
work
isn't
sustainable
and
lsd's
year-to-date
billable
hours
over
billable
expectations
or
the
acronym
that
we
use
internally
is
B
to
to
the
end
of
October
of
22
was
116
percent.
A
I
This
and
that
rate
of
use
contributes
to
a
high
burnout
of
staff
and
that
in
turn,
May
contribute
to
increased
absences
and
it
could
negatively
impact
the
division's
ability
to
recruit
and
retain
talent
to
be
able
to
do
this
work
that's
needed
for
government
to
to
function,
because
if
the
work
is
is
not
done
internally,
then
the
private
sector
will
need
to
be
relied
upon
and
the
cost
of
external
counsel
is
rising
throughout
the
The
Province.
I
So
you
have
to
be
mindful
of
wanting
to
prefer
to
use
our
folks
at
LSD
over
those
who
could
do
the
work
by
contract.
Current
calculated
hourly
rate
for
our
civil
Crown
Council
within
LSD
is
168
dollars
per
hour,
and
that
includes
the
the
salary
includes.
The
benefits
includes
their
training
divisional
overhead,
as
well
as
the
Law
Society
fees,
the
average
hourly
rate
for
outside
counsel.
That's
retained
by
government
is
340
per
hour
as
of
July
of
last
year
and
that's
increased
by
26
percent
from
the
budget
year
2020-21.
I
So
that
that's
the
context
here
that
we're
we're
looking
at
when
we're
thinking
about.
L
L
L
Didn't
have
the
opportunity
to
talk
about
that
just
to
follow
up
on
that
e-filing
process
can
Minister
confirm
that
e-filing
process
is
also
available
to
self-represented
individuals,
because
my
understanding
is,
it
is
not.
E-Filing
process
is
only
available
to
those
who
are
represented
by
a
lawyers
and
software
people
cannot
access
that
and
again,
question
is
what
steps
you're
taking
to
make
sure
that
those
people
can
benefit
from
those
efficient
processes,
page
151,
Department
capital,
acquisitions.
L
L
Final
penalties
were
budgeted
last
year
at
210,
Millions
forecast
is
168
million
and
current
estimate
is
171
million.
What
fees
of
premiums
the
government
expect
to
collect
more
this
year,
the
capital
plans
for
justice,
digital
and
transformative
finish,
initiatives
cut
down
2
million
and
1
million
respectively.
What
is
the
reason
behind
these
reductions?
L
L
Where
is
the
budget
for
it?
How
much
is
it
how
many
employees
are
there?
Also
adjusters
Department
responsible
for
security
infrastructure
grant
program?
How
much
that
program
is
worth
What's
the
total
amount
of
Grants
you
provided
last
year?
What's
the
plan
for
current
fiscal
year
in
September
last
year
the
government
announced
two
hate:
crime
studies,
Alberta
hate
crime
committee
through
Alberta,
hate
crime
committee
and
the
organization
for
prevention
of
violence.
L
So
can
you
tell
me
how
much
of
that
money
exactly
went
to
the
agreements
within
the
justice
department?
Page
92
of
the
fiscal
plan
operating
expense
forecast
for
justice
is
594
million
in
2022-23
an
increase
of
92
million
from
budget
2022
operating
expense
will
increase
to
over
650
million
annually
in
budget
2023.
L
increases
are
manly
for
the
racial
and
Crown
prosecutor
compensation.
How
much
went
to
compensation,
and
earlier
I
asked
about
full-time
employees
and
Deputy
Brad
Smith
mentioned
there
will
be
57
new
full-time
employees
in
acps
services?
Will
they
all
be
crowned
when
they
will?
When
will
they
be
hired
page
92
of
the
fiscal
plan,
20
million
dollar
annually?
Thank.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
so
where
I
left
off
the
members,
questions
from
the
previous
block
was
related
to
the
cfo's
increase
of
8
million
and
the
member
mentioned
the
increase
gun
crime
that
we've
seen
in
in
some
areas
of
the
province.
I
And
what
we're
doing
about
that.
This
is
an
answer
that
that
involves
this
ministry,
but
also
the
pieces
Ministry
and
the
work
that
we're
doing
to
to
Target
gun
crimes
in
our
community.
But
I
think
there
was
a
thesis
in
the
member's
question
that
that
seemed
to
indicate
the
belief
that
having
backlogs
and
processing
applications,
whether
it's
application
for
license
transfer
of
a
firearm
or
an
authorization
to
to
transport
that
those
backlogs
are
actually
make
our
community
safer.
I
We
want
people
to
have
the
time
to
go
through
thoughtfully,
but
it's
it
needs
to
be
done
and
it
means
it
needs.
Those
applications
need
to
be
processed
in
a
timely
way
to
ensure
that
our
communities
are
safe.
I
think
it's
also
important
for
us
to
to
realize
that
a
lot
of
the
the
ways
in
which
the
federal
government
pretends
to
address
gun
crime
in
our
communities
is
not
targeting
gun
crime.
I
The
the
slider
and
the
barrel
may
not
be
restricted
themselves
and
there
are
ways
in
which
there
are
ghost
guns
being
created
through
3D
printer,
where
all
one
has
to
do
is
order
the
slider
and
the
barrel,
and
and
then
the
the
rest
of
the
firearm
can
be
manufactured
in
an
offender's
home
very
quickly,
and
so
the
work
that
we
can
do
to
enable
the
chief
Firearms
officer
and
her
staff
to
be
able
to
work
with
manufacturers
to
work
with
retailers
to
look
at
that
suspicious
activity
and
make
sure
it
gets
reported
to
law
enforcement
in
a
timely
way.
I
Those
are
the
ways
in
which
we
can
make
sure
that
a
sped
up
system
proper
resourcing
and
not
relying
for
example,
on
applications
being
done
to
Miramichi
by
the
RCMP,
is
actually
going
to
make
our
communities
more
safe,
I
think
there's
a
question
as
well
about
the
working
conditions
of
the
crown
prosecutors.
I
would
just
say,
as
I've
said
a
couple
times,
I.
I
Think
of
my
answers
today
that
we've
worked
with
the
with
akka
to
be
able
to
address
their
concerns
and
not
just
be
able
to
deal
with
retention
and
recruitment
issues
by
in
increasing
compensation,
but
also
working
with
them
and
their
concerns
about
supports
that
they
they
felt
they
weren't
having
before
and
ways
in
which
we
can
make
sure
that
those
reports
are
provided
to
our
Crown
prosecutors
throughout
the
province,
and
we
I
really
appreciate
that
that
advice
that
we've
gotten
from
akka
and
of
Justice
and
Alex
it's
been
some
time.
I,
don't
know.
I
If
you
have
notes,
then
from
that
question
is,
is
that
okay
to
rely
on
you
restorative
justice
RJ
is,
is
a
passion
of
mine
and
I
I
thank
Alex
for
for
his
passion
as
well.
Sorry,
Adam,
Thompson's,
right
Alex,
but
I
really
appreciated
working
with
you
in
in
in
these
Innovative
programs
that
we've
been
able
to
continue
to
invest
in
and
so
ADM
Thompson
over
to
you.
K
Manager,
so
funding
in
this
budget
line
for
restorative
justice
is
intended
to
be
used
for
the
the
implementation
of
restorative
justice,
Delivery
Service
delivery
communities
and
will
be
used
to
build
the
initial
framework
and
the
administrative
structure
of
a
provincial
restorative
justice
program.
It
is
in
its
infancy
and
engagement
with
the
stakeholders.
Restorative
justice
stakeholders
across
the
province
will
form
part
of
this
this
framework.
B
D
Thank
you,
madam
chair
just
got
a
few
quick
questions.
I
will
then
move
to.
Thank
you
again
to
the
minister
and
this
team.
For
being
here.
Minister,
we've
heard
you
in
the
past
talk
about
producing
your
revised
statutes
of
Alberta,
RSA
and
I
can
tell
you.
Can
you
tell
us
really
what
the
revised
RSA
and
why
it's
important
and
how
long
it's
been
since
a
new
RSA
has
been
undertaken.
It's
a
vice
statutes
of
Alberta
and
I
understand
that
that
is
something
that
sort
of
long
overdue.
I
All
right,
thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
to
the
member
for
the
question.
I
I
have
been
a
bit
of
an
advocate
on
on
the
last
time.
The
the
sort
of
the
last
RSA
that
took
effect
was
in
in
2000
just
before.
I
had
started
Law
School,
so
it's
been
over
20
years
and
and
before
2000,
the
last
one
before
that
was
1980,
and
so
I've
been
asking
the
question
about
why?
Why
are
we
not
why?
I
Why
do
we
not
have
a
plan
for
for
being
able
to
proceed
with
the
next
iteration
of
for
for
the
RSA
and-
and
the
reason
was,
is
that
at
that
time
we
we
thought
that
it
was
best
away
for
the
demise
of
the
crown
to
be
able
to
proceed
with
the
next.
But
then
the
new
RSA
will
increase
access
to
Justice
and
in
a
few
ways,
including
enhancing
the
ease
of
use
and
and
referencing
by
renumbering
the
statutes
and
the
provisions
within
the
statutes.
I
That's
it
implicitly
part
of
what
happens
when,
when
there's
a
new
iteration
of
RSA
that
that
ends
up
taking
effect,
the
the
eliminating
of
obsolete
provisions
and
statutes
that
have
been
repealed.
I
Resolving
current
addiction
and
certain
language
issues
in
statutes
is
gender
neutrality,
creating
a
new
presentation
format
to
provide
a
uniform
document
presentation,
regardless
of
the
media
format,
whether
it's
electronic
or
whether
it's
print,
and
to
allow
for
an
easy
transfer
between
media
formats,
such
as
the
removal
of
columns,
adding
hyperlinks
to
cross
references
and
developing
and
implementing
a
process
to
provide
electronic
access
to
all
the
the
changes
to
the
statutes
that
that
have
built
up
over
the
last
28
three
years
by
by
amendments
as
well
as
as
full
consolidation.
D
Thank
you
and
again
through
the
chair.
I
know
that
you
referenced
this
already
a
little
bit,
but
just
maybe
a
bit
more
detail
with
respect
to
legislative
Council
Office,
which
is
in
in
this
section
line.
Item
3.2
and
you've
talked
to
us
a
little
bit
about
the
constraints
and
a
lot
of
the
overtime.
There
continue
talking
a
little
bit
about
the
work
that
the
lco
undertakes.
I
I
It
drafts
all
of
the
the
public
bills,
the
regs,
the
orders
and
Council
as
well
the
advise
and
they
assist
with
that
advancing
draft
legislation
through
the
decision-making
process,
and
they
they
work
very
closely
with
the
the
king's
printer
to
produce
all
legislative
Publications
for
all
government
Ministries.
That
volume
of
work
conducted
by
the
lco
has
increased
as
an
example.
The
number
of
bills-
and
that
includes
those
drafted
but
not
introduced,
increased
from
27
in
the
spring
of
21
to
32
in
the
spring
of
22,
and
the
annual
volume
of
pages
also
increase.
I
That
increase
just
to
compare
from
Spring
of
22
to
just
the
fall.
Only
increase
from
72
in
the
spring
of
22
to
118.
I
and
our
staffing
levels
in
lco
are
comparatively
low
that
new
funding
will
bring
Staffing
levels
in
line
with
those
in
BC,
which
has
one
drafter
per
Ministry.
Currently,
Alberta
has
one
draft
recovering
two
Ministries,
just
as
an
indication
on
top
of
that
additional
staff
and
lco
will
also
be
required
to
produce
the
the
new
RSA
that
that
we
were
talking
about
Madam
chair,
and
this
would
be
a
combination
of
lawyers,
legislative
editors,
ledge
assistants,
about
10
positions.
The
RSA
team
will
also
be
responsible
for
for
implementing
new
software
that
will
benefit
the
lco
office.
I
D
Thank
you.
I
was
just
going
to
reference.
The
3.3,
which
is
the
Alberta
law
reform,
Institute,
specifically
I,
know
both
yourself
and
I
have
had
a
good
chance
to
to
work
with
them.
On
the
the
more
recent
passing
of
the
abolition
of
adverse
possession.
I
know
they
do
some
good
work
there,
but
there's
the
continuation
of
the
funding
for
the
alri
Albert
law
reform
Institute
is
is
in
place.
We're
seeing
that
that's
well
reflected
continuation
of
that
funding
in
budget
22
2023-24.
D
Can
you
maybe
explain
a
little
bit
about
what
the
lri
dies
does
as
a
sort
of
an
arms
length
group
that
works
with
justice
and
how
that
continuation
of
that
budget
is
important
to
us.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
to
the
member,
so
they
were
established
in
1967
they're
established
by
the
Attorney
General,
as
well
as
the
governors
of
the
University
of
Alberta
and
the
the
Law
Society
in
2018.
The
Institute
was
then
at
that
time,
incorporated
as
a
non-profit
and
they're
funded
through
the
Alberta
law
Foundation
through
the
ministry
of
justice
and
the
University
of
Alberta.
I
There
is
funding
and
kind
that's
provided
by
both
Calgary
and
Al
University
of
Alberta
they're,
the
official
law
reform
Agency
for
the
province
of
Alberta
and
they've
been
a
catalyst
for
the
many
changes
in
the
the
legal
system.
Here
in
Alberta,
many
of
those
changes
have
been
of
a
systemic
nature
and
have
had
a
significant
impact
on
the
lives
of
many
folks
here
in
the
province.
An
example
might
be
the
recommendations
related
to
the
matrimonial
property
act.
The
arbitration
act
we
recently
saw
with
their
help
changes
to
the
trustee
Act.
I
They've
had
the
ability
to
leverage
volunteer
contributions
from
judges
and
Senior
experts
and
their
reputation
for
integrity
and
credibility
allows
them
to
call
on
top
practitioners,
based
on
on
their
established
history,
of
listening
to
different
points
of
view
and
building
consensus
for
how
to
improve
laws
so
funding
the
The
Institute
ensures
that
they're
they're
able
to
hire
and
entertain
staff
and
maintain
a
stable
stream
of
recommendations
to
benefit
not
just
government
but
all
albertans.
Thank
you.
Manager.
B
G
Thank
you
chair.
Thank
you,
Minister
for
your
time
this
evening,
I'll
just
sort
of
start
off
I
didn't
quite
hear
an
answer
earlier
and
I
was
just
hoping
to
to
go
back
to
that.
It
was
a
question
actually
asked
by
the
member
from
Cyprus,
Medicine
Hat
and
the
reason
I
think
that
it's
just
something
that
I
know
my
constituents
have
had
and
I'm
assuming
it
might
have
been
part
of
of
that
member's
what
he
was
trying
to
get
at.
G
There
was
a
recent
by
avail,
a
member,
prominent
member
of
the
MEP
caucus
prior
to
prior
to
the
Scandal
and
prior
to
his
court
court
appearance
and
the
things
that
were
said
in
in
public
by
by
the
former
Health
minister
of
the
MEP
that
led
to
recent
out
of
out
of
court
settlement
and
the
the
question
that
was
brought
forward
by
the
member
from
Cyprus
medicine.
Atlas.
Is
there
money
budgeted
by
the
government
for
court
cases.
L
L
L
Another
question
with
respect
to
line
item
106
human
rights.
There
is
a
slight
increase,
but
in
before
that
this
budget
human
right
in
multiculturalism,
Grant
was
cut
from
1
million
to
exactly
zero.
Will
there
be
any
human
rights
and
multiculturalism
grants
provided
in
this
budget
109
of
fiscal
plan.
L
L
Ag
improve
and
follow
policies
and
procedures.
That
recommendation
is
being
repeated
to
review
an
assess
whether
its
policies
are
appropriate
with
respect
to
Office
of
Public,
guardian
and
trustee,
and
whether
procedures
are
adequate
to
mitigate
the
risk
that
client
asset
could
be
mismanaged,
improve
its
process
for
ensuring
compliance
with
policies
and
procedures.
L
L
L
It
was
prepared
under
your
direction,
Minister,
but
I
will
still
keep
my
question
relevant
to
Justice
ministry
as
it
stands
now,
page
10
states
that
authority
to
conduct
prosecutions,
including
all
discretionary
decision
must
be
made
in
every
case,
originate
in
the
office
of
Attorney
General,
where
this
role
also
come.
The
duty
to
remain
independent,
independent
of
our
justice
system
was
put
in
question
because
of
the
statement
made
by
the
premier.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
There
was
a
previous
question
in
previous
block.
I
know
that
the
member
just
had
a
question
about
the
Human
Rights
Commission
again,
but
for
that
previous
question
in
the
fiscal
year
2122
the
the
Human
Rights
Commission
accepted
1040
complaints
that
was
a
15
increase
from
the
previous
year
and
they
closed
during
that
fiscal
year.
1001
complaints.
They
also
responded
to
over
9
000
public
inquiries,
about
rights
and
responsibilities
under
the
ACT
I.
Think
at
that
time.
I
With
that
question
the
the
specific
questions
that
were
asked
that
number
isn't
available
to
us
at
this
time
and
then
going
to
the
member's
question
about
whether
by
writing,
any
questions
that
are
answered
orally
today
in
in
this
estimates.
Hearing
that
will
we
follow
up
to
the
extent
that
we
have
the
information.
Yes,
we
will,
if
it's
information
available
with
a
couple
caveats,
one
would
be
if
it's
actually
a
Justice
Ministry
question
to
point
out
that
the
members
asked
quite
a
few
questions,
one
in
the
most
recent
block
about
sheriffs.
I
That's
a
pieces
question,
so
that
would
be
something
I'd
direct
to
Pieces.
We
were
also
asked
about
hate
crimes,
hate
crimes,
coordination
unit
or
the
hate
crimes
in
the
his
own
I,
don't
know
which
one
the
member
was
referring
to,
but
both
of
them
would
be
under
pieces
as
well.
So
that
wouldn't
be
a
question
for
justice.
We
were
also
asked
a
question
about
asip.
I
I
So,
to
the
extent
that
it
is
a
Justice
question,
we
have
the
answers,
and
maybe
I'll
also
give
this
second
cave
yet
to
the
extent
that
that
they're
related
to
to
to
budget
23
for
the
ministry
of
Justice
I,
believe
I've
asked
answered
the
the
political
questions
that
have
been
reiterated
and
re-asked
a
couple
times.
Madam
chair,
I
provided
those
answers
to
the
member
for
for
those
questions,
but
to
the
remaining
questions
that
don't
get
addressed
today.
Yes,
absolutely
we
will.
I
Or
did
you
get
that
Deputy
or
acting
deputy?
Do
you
want
to
maybe
answer
that
because
you,
instead
of
me
digging
through?
Thank
you
sorry,
the
question
was:
how
will
it
operate?
I
think
I
think
the
word.
How
would
be
operational
I
think
it
meant
how
it
would
operate
if
you
don't.
M
Thank
you
so
acting
Japanese.
M
So,
with
respect
to
the
pre-charge
assessments,
we
have
been
doing
Pilots
for
a
number
of
a
number
of
years
with
respect
to
pre-charge
assessments.
It's
having
a
great
impact
in
that
20
reduction
in
charges
hitting
the
courts
because
of
the
pre-charge
assessment.
It's
been
rolled
out
to
a
number
of
locations.
It's
you
know
it's
Unique
in
Alberta,
some
of
the
ways
we're
communicating
about
why
the
pre-charge
assessment
may
not
be
proceeding,
so
it's
leading
to
a
lot
more
robust
investigations.
M
So
the
pre-charge
assessment
is
being
done
very
well
in
the
province
and
continues
to
be
rolled
out.
M
So
another
chair
in
relation
to
the
maintenance
enforcement
program,
so
we
did
actually
see
an
increase
in
our
budget
for
maintenance
enforcement
by
a
small
percentage,
but
it
was.
It
was
way
s
for
our
maintenance
enforcement
program.
M
B
F
F
I
understand
that
this
funding
will
be
used
to
enhance
Services
provided
by
the
acfo
which
run
the
gamut
of
helping
law-abiding
Firearms
owners,
navigate
an
increasingly
complex
regulatory
system
to
cracking
down
on
smuggling
theft
and
criminal
misuse
of
firearms
Minister.
Can
you
elaborate
on
the
funding
increase
to
the
acfo?
Why,
in
The
Minister's
opinion
is
the
time
right
to
strengthen
and
increase
funding
to
the
acfo.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
maybe
because
I
also
didn't
get
a
chance
to
answer
member
Long's
question
previously
look
I
suppose
my
answer
would
be
as
as
someone
who
has
been
slandered
by
the
ndpm
himself
and
my
family's
been
slandered
by
NDP
members
gosh.
Just
today
in
question
period,
I
got
slandered
by
the
member
that
member
long
was
referring
to
in
question
period
where
her
comments
about
about
me
were
privileged,
and
she
knows
very
well
that
I'm
some
Judas
and
can't
answer
to
the
slander.
I
So
it's
it's
interesting
to
see
that
settlement,
but
maybe
in
a
position
on
I,
don't
know
if
we'd
be
ADM
Smith,
but
the
to
the
extent
that
we
are
budgeting
for
for
litigation
against
government
in
those
those
situations.
I
O
I
A
good
question
through
you,
madam
chair
to
the
member,
because
I
think
it
was
actually
also
a
question,
although
the
member
opposite
raises
a
point
of
order
that
he
also
asked
so
I
thought
it
was
a
helpful
question
now
to
the
next
question.
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
Through
you
to
the
member,
some
of
the
funding
increase
will
go
towards
expanding
the
capability
of
the
Alberta
Chief
arms
officer
office.
To
deliver
a
number
of
items.
I
One
would
be
significant
opportunities
that
that
lie
in
in
the
work
being
done
with
her
office
and
police
agencies
around
the
Firearms
ownership
and
use
and
safety,
and
the
work
involving
a
coordinated
effort
between
government
Ministries
to
address
collaboration
and
advocacy
for
law-abiding
Firearms
owners.
I
There's
also
an
opportunity
related
to
increasing
collaboration
between
policing
agencies,
and
that
includes
the
RCMP
and
the
chief
Firearms
office
in
addressing
increased
cases
of
straw,
purchasing
and
Firearms
trafficking
opportunities
also
exist
to
better
support,
law-abiding
gun
owners
and
businesses
by
a
coordinated
and
collaborate
collaborative
effort,
there's
also
the
identification
of
improved
Service
delivery,
unwanted
guns,
program,
establishment,
increase
public
relations
and
the
public
support
of
the
chief
Firearms
officer's
office.
G
Minister
I
I
have
a
lot
of
concerns
raised
in
my
rural
constituency
around
the
federal
bail
system
and
commonly
called
The
Catch
and
Release
system
and
I
know
that
recently
you
know
our
premiers
around
the
country
actually
signed
a
letter
about
the
desperate
need
to
fix
the
the
bail
system,
I'm
still
waiting
on
the
opposition
members
provincially
to
speak
up
and
add
their
support
to
that
letter,
but
I'm,
assuming
that
they
there's
a
lack
of
understanding
on
what's
truly
transpiring
in
rural
communities,
and
that's
why
they
haven't
offered
this
support.
G
At
this
point
now,
I
I
hear
I
hear
from
residents
I
hear
from
officers
about
you
know
a
few,
a
few
criminals
that
are
constantly
causing
the
causing
the
issues
in
the
communities
that
I
represent
and
I
do
want
to
commend
the
police
officers
and
law
enforcement
in
my
communities
because
it
it
takes
a
lot
of
their
time
and
their
resources
to
to
go
and
catch
someone
and
sometimes
in
very
serious
crime
and
then
to
see
the
person
released,
sometimes
within
hours
because
of
the
failure
of
of
bail
system.
G
So
with
that
in
mind,
you
know
line
item
4.1
of
your
budget
is
around
operations
and
bail
prosecutions,
and
so,
while
I
understand
that
the
provincial
government
is
limited
by
Juris
Puritan
jurisprudence
and
the
criminal
code,
my
question
is
in
providing
operations
and
bail
prosecutions.
You
know
I'll
be
obviously
we
have
the
responsibility
for
providing
these
services.
G
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
to
the
member
for
the
question
and
he's
writing
his
his
preface
that
there
is
a
concern.
Bail
I
think
we
have
to
remember
is:
is
is
a
type
of
conditional
release
so,
whether
it's
in
undertaking
to
to
appear
or
whether
it's
a
it's
parole,
whether
it's
it's
stat
release
and
you're
under
conditions
for
stat
release.
I
Those
are
all
different
types
of
conditional
release
and
the
indication
of
whether
someone's
going
to
be
successful
in
the
conditional
release,
including
bail,
is
whether
they've
been
successful
in
conditional
release
in
the
past.
And
if
you
have
a
lot
of
failures
to
appear
or
if
you
and
repeat
offender,
it's
every
indication
in
the
world
that
you're
you're
not
going
to
be
successful
on
bail.
I
If
you
go
back
out
in
the
community,
I
think
that
whether
it
comes
to
sentencing
decisions
or
bail,
I
I
think
that
the
criminal
code
should
be
focusing
on
on
providing
a
regime
that
that
is
focused
on
risk
of
the
community,
rather
rather
than
the
other
factors
that
often
are
included.
I
That's
my
own
take
on
that
so
that,
from
being
a
past
member
of
the
national
parole
board
that
that's
that's
my
take
and
that's
one
of
the
reasons
why
I
think
as
a
result
of
the
letter
and
you're
right
to
point
out
or
Madam
chair
the
member's
right
to
point
out
that
this
is
a
nonpartisan
issue.
This
is
doesn't
matter
what
what
what
type
of
government
which
province
this
is
provinces
of
governments
all
over
the
political
Spectrum
who
are
asking
for
reform
to
to
the
bail
regime
and
I.
I
P
L
L
And
it
was
prepared
under
your
direction,
so
I
may
ask
some
question,
which
may
not
be
maybe
more
relevant
for
Mike
Alice's
Ministry.
But
let's
see
firearm
related
question.
P22
of
the
report
says
that
there
are
plans
currently
underway
to
establish
and
unwanted
firearm
program,
which
will
lead
to
the
voluntary
surrender
of
firearms
that
are
no
longer
wanted
by
owners,
thus
reducing
the
risk
of
harm.
L
L
L
That's
one,
then.
Another
question
I
have
relates
again
to
Jordan
delays
on
page
41
of
the
annual
report.
L
Scps
tracks,
criminal
cases
in
Provincial,
Court
and
Court
of
Queens
bench
to
ensure
matter
proceed
to
trial
within
timely
limits
specified
by
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
in
RN
Jordan,
and
it
provides
that
38
cases
were
stayed
by
the
course
due
to
unreasonable
delay
totals
that
represent
9.8
percent
of
old
Jordan
applications.
While
since
2016.
L
Another
question:
that's
directly
out
of
your
message
on
this
annual
report,
which
talks
about
Provincial
Police
Force,
that
and
in
reference
to
PWC
report
that
the
government
commission
says.
The
report
also
showed
that
it's
possible
do
this
at
the
same
or
lower
operating
costs.
L
It
says
that
in
two
different
scenarios
it
will
pass
somewhere
from
734
million
to
754
million
to
set
up
Alberta
Police
Service,
while
at
this
time
contract
policing
costs
us
around
350
million,
that's
excluding
366
million
for
transition
costs.
So,
in
light
of
these
facts
stating
in
stated
and
PWC
report
I,
don't
think
that
that
message
is
correct,
that
it's
possible
to
do
this
at
the
same
or
lower
overall
operating
costs
and
also
any
albertans
and
municipalities
are
opposed
to
it.
The
government
should
not
continue
with
this
burn
dollar.
L
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
The
next
question
I
have
is
related
to
the
7.7
million
dollars,
budgeted
for
jti
phase,
two
or
sorry
not
phase.
Sorry,
that's
that's
related.
So
that's
7.7
million
is
related
to
us
not
proceeding
with
phase
two
of
jti.
So
just
as
a
reminder
that
the
Justice
transfer,
transformative
initiatives
jti
was
is
focused
on
freeing
a
justice
system
resources
to
meet
other
Service
delivery
needs
through
an
administrative
adjudication
model
and
phase
one
that
diverted
89
of
all
impaired
driving.
I
Incidents
from
the
courts
is
quite
a
success,
is
also
increased
enforcement
by
47
percent
and
on
top
of
that,
the
number
of
recipients
able
to
review
their
files
increased
from
12
trial
rate
to
20
review
rate,
while
concluding
more
than
1700
reviews
all
in
30
days,
and
that
changed
freed
up
more
than
10
Crown
prosecutors
to
address
other
serious
and
press
pressing
criminal
matters,
including
impaired
files,
causing
bodily
harm
or
death
and
decreased
police
issuance
time
from
3
to
10
hours
to
to
less
than
an
hour
and
eliminated
all
disclosure
and
investigate
investigatory
follow-ups.
I
At
that
time
there
was
a
pause
for
phase
two
of
jti
to
ensure
that
albertans
were
informed
and
consulted
on
the
changes
proposed
in
that
phase
two
and
that
was
proposing
to
add
traffic
related
offenses
under
the
traffic
safety
act
to
the
administrative
penalty,
information
system
or
apis.
Now,
because
that's
not
proceeding
at
this
time,
perhaps
ADM
Thompson,
if
you
can
speak
to
the
extent
to
which
this
replacement
of
jti
phase
two
is,
is,
is
going
to
be
proceeding
and
then
the
7.7
million.
I
That's
that's
budgeted
for
for
that.
Oh
B
Camp.
Oh
sorry,
ADM
Goddard,
where
we
are
actually
giving
some.
Hopefully
we
can
get
you
in
under
the
Bell
this
time.
P
Thank
you,
madam
chairman,
for
the
record.
It's
listen
to
be
Mr,
Goddard.
Speaking
with
respect
to
the
7.7
million,
when
jti
Phase
2
was
put
on
hold,
it
was
recognized
that
we
needed
to
revitalize
and
revision
how
we
delivered
traffic
court
services
to
albertans.
There
were
certain
inequities
where
there
wasn't
an
availability
for
people
in
parts
of
the
province
to
contact
Crown
prosecutors
to
seek
plea
negotiations.
P
So
what
we've
done
is
we've
Consolidated
traffic
prosecutions
and
you'll
see
there
was
a
transfer,
an
internal
transfer
of
money
into
this
new
Branch.
This
will
ensure
that
albertans
in
every
corner
of
the
province
will
get
the
same
service
in
terms
of
the
same
policies,
the
same
procedures
and
the
same
access
to
the
crown
prosecutors
for
these
plea
negotiations,
resolutions
and
trials.
P
Additionally,
this
branch
is
working
with
the
traffic
digital
service
to
improve
our
our
ability
to
communicate
with
people
who
want
to
discuss
their
traffic
tickets
or
people
who
want
to
set
trial
dates
and,
finally,
one
of
the
other
things.
This
branch
is
working
on
is
working
on
an
e-ticketing
system
that
would
allow
albertans
to
not
only
get
their
disclosure
almost
immediately,
but
also
to
contact
the
prosecution
service,
immediately
contact
the
courthouse
immediately
and
have
all
that
information
available
to
them.
P
I
Next
Madam
chair
I
point
out
that,
because
there
were
some
questions
related
to
the
the
annual
report,
now
just
a
reminder
that
that's
not
up
for
consideration
at
this
hearing.
This
is
really
just
for
reviewing
and
receiving
questions
related
to
the
business
plan
and
the
budget.
However,
there
was
a
question
about
the
unwanted
Firearms
program,
though
the
annual
discussion.
I
This
is
a
mechanism
for
albertans
to
turn
in
firearms
in
a
safe
and
secure
manner
for
Destruction
ADM
Thompson.
If
you
can
speak
a
little
bit
more
to
that.
B
H
Mister,
thank
you
and
your
team.
So
much
for
all
that
you
do
for
albertans,
it's
a
it's
a
great
honor
to
be
able
to
ask
you
some
questions.
H
My
questions
revolve
around
line
item
five,
which
is
strategy,
support,
integrated
services,
so
line
item
five
strategy,
Sport
and
integrated
Services.
It
covers
a
large
number
of
different
different
and
cumulatively
the
line
items
from
five
to
five
point:
five
represent
a
57.1
million
dollar
increase
that
is
substantial.
H
What
or
support
for
legal
aid
where
the
funding
has
increased
from
94.2
million
to
134.6
million
dollars
and
I'm
aware
that
Alberta
Justice
oversees
the
delivery
of
legal
aid
albertans
through
an
agreement
with
the
Law
Society
of
Alberta
and
Legal
Aid
Alberta
legal
aid
was
in
the
news
a
lot
over
the
course
of
last
year,
with
the
roster
of
defense,
lawyers
arguing
for
an
increase
to
the
Tariff
rates
and
enhanced
services
for
individuals
who
are
trying
to
access
legal
aid.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
to
the
member
for
the
question
and
I
I.
Think
the
member
makes
a
good
point.
I
That
government
is
just
one
of
the
contributors
to
to
the
budget
for
for
legal
aid,
and
so
together
the
the
government
and
our
our
valued
partners
and
stakeholders
are
engaging
and
collaborating
to
ensure
that
their
there
is
optimal
delivery
and
and
as
well,
long-term
sustainability
of
and
the
department
began,
undertaking
a
comprehensive
review
of
legal
aid
which
included
the
tariffs,
which
is
a
list
of
of
the
the
the
items
for
which
a
roster
lawyer
can
can
bill
for,
and
a
review
of,
the
the
Tariff
amounts,
the
Tariff
items
and
reducing
it
from
40
different
items
to
to
a
smaller
number
of
items,
but
also
a
review
of
the
financial
eligibility
guidelines
and
the
results
of
of
that
review
are
informing
our
discussions.
I
Our
negotiations
to
develop
the
next
government
governance
agreement
between
us
is
the
government
of
Alberta,
the
Law
Society
of
Alberta
and
and
legal
aid,
and
the
funding
is
to
be
used
to
ensure
the
lawyers
are,
are
properly
remunerated,
to
provide
effective
and
efficient
services
to
to
vulnerable
albertans
and
to
ensure
a
Folsom
roster
of
lawyers.
Funding
will
create
positive
results,
I
think
for
those
for
folks
by
ensuring
that
more
people
are
eligible
to
access
legal
aid
services.
So
thank
you,
madam
chair.
H
Thank
you
so
much
for
that
line.
Item
5.2,
Community,
Justice
and
integrated
Services
includes
funding
for
the
drug
treatment.
Court
program
I
just
want
to
say
first
off.
Thank
you
so
much
for
coming
up
to
my
region
to
cut
the
ribbon
for
our
local
drug
treatment
court-
and
you
know
this
is
a
phenomenal
program
where
we're
trying
to
address
the
issues
of
addiction
and
trying
to
provide
people
with
alternatives
to
simply
going
to
prison
and
repeating
that
cycle.
I
Well,
and
thank
you
to
you
for
emceeing
that
that
ceremony
and
and
all
of
your
advocacy
for
the
folks
who
are
are
doing
that
work
now
and
it
it
was
great
to
be
able
to
see.
I
That
Court
Center
or
the
drug
treatment
coordinate
from
Murray
being
being
the
last
one
for
that
commitment
that
we
made
during
the
campaign
to
expanding
our
our
drug
treatment
courts
to
the
province.
So
I
would
say
that
four
million
dollars
annually
is
is
allocated
for
the
operation
of
our
our
now
seven
drug
treatment
courts.
That's
Calgary,
Red
Deer,
which
serves
central
Alberta
Edmonton
for
McMurray,
Grand,
Prairie,
lath,
bridge
and
Medicine
Hat,
and
in
all
of
these
drug
treatment.
I
Courts
provide
wraparound,
supports
to
high
risk
and
non-violent
offenders
whose
crimes
were
driven
by
their
addiction
and
that
the
participants
evolved
in
these
drug
treatment,
courts,
responsibility
for
their
criminal
activity
and
are
provided
with
intensive
drug
treatment.
They
also
receive
community
supports
and
criminal
Behavior
interventions,
and
these
Services
help
participants
address
their
drug
addiction,
find
housing
employment
in
the
community
and
give
back
to
the
communities
all
while
reducing
their
criminal
behavior
and
supporting
them
to
live
healthier,
lives
and
I.
I
Think,
even
one
of
the
folks
that
spoke
that
the
announcement
is
a
graduate
of
a
previous
drug
treatment
Court,
who
has
now
been
hired
to
to
as
a
to
work
as
a
caseworker
and
to
have
her
tell
her
personal
story.
That
announcement
was
really
touching.
So
thank
you
again
for
for
your
work
in
supporting
this
drug
treatment.
H
Oh
again,
thank
you
so
much
Minister
for
all
your
hard
work
on
that
file
and
I
think
we're
really
providing
a
good
alternative
to
some
of
the
things
that
they
might
be
doing
in
our
neighboring
province
of
British
Columbia,
we're
taking
a
different
approach
and
I
think
we're
going
to
come
up
with
some
better
results
for
our
most
vulnerable.
Thank
you.