skills might be better suited to a "less sensitive portfolio". In 1995, the Winnipeg Free Press reported that the Filmon government had quietly shifted funds away from public and post-secondary education and into private training programs and private schools between 1988 and 1993. Minister of Justice Vodrey was promoted to Minister of Justice and Attorney General on September 10, 1993, with additional ministerial responsibility for Constitutional Affairs and the Status of Women. She was retained in these positions after the 1995 provincial election. Criminal justice Vodrey's first major decision as Justice Minister was to call an emergency summit of police, educators and community groups, following the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old boy in Winnipeg. The summit took place in December, and featured diverse opinions on the effectiveness of Canada's Young Offenders Act. Two months after the summit, Vodrey brought forward a crime reform package that included wilderness boot camps for young offenders, increased police surveillance of gangs, violence prevention workshops, a school violence coordinator, and a youth gang and violence phone line that would both receive confidential information and provide counseling services. Vodrey's proposal for boot camps was very controversial. New Democratic Party Justice critic Gord Mackintosh described it as "a simplistic, sensational way of pandering to vengeance", while some social workers argued the camps would actually reinforce criminal behaviour. Aboriginal leaders also expressed concern that these camps could have the same negative effect on native children as did the residential school system, and criticized Vodrey for not seeking input from indigenous groups. Others argued that Vodrey's proposal had merit, and deserved to be given a trial run. In response to criticism, Vodrey promised that the camps would be humane and non-abusive, unlike the harsh, military-style youth camps that had been introduced previously in the United States. Vodrey formally opened two camps in September 1994, though opposition critics suggested that her department had simply made minor adjustments to existing youth correction services. Vodrey also introduced legislation to make parents financially liable for the property offenses of their children. Critics questioned the effectiveness of this measure, noting that many of the affected families would already be low-income. The measure was passed by Vodrey's successor, Vic Toews, in 1997. Vodrey's plan to take driver's licenses from young offenders was less controversial, and won the support of the NDP opposition. She later brought forward legislation compelling parents who refuse to pay child support