David Krutko

General comments. Detail.

Does committee agree?

Page 1 of Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Territorial Parks Act, clause 1.

---Clauses 1 through 6 inclusive approved

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, most individuals that are sentenced for two years and less spend their time in the Northwest Territories. Anything over two years, they are basically sent to a federal institution. I’d like to ask the Minister: have you been made aware of what the minimum sentence year is going to be and will there be implications on inmates that we have now, which may be having to do more than a two-year sentence and having to leave the Northwest Territories or is the minimum sentence, it could be two-and-a-half years. What effect will that have on our system?

Mr. Bromley, I’m just basically following direction, that once you concluded your statement there weren’t going to be any questions and we were going to allow each Member to make their general comments and move on and allow the Minister to reply to the general comments of everyone at the end. I stated that when Ms. Bisaro spoke. So that was the rule I put on the floor of the House. So if you were offended, well, excuse me. That’s why we’re having a second round of general comments. Again, your concern will be noted and also my concern of challenging the Chair will also be noted.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. At this time I’d like to call on the standing committee which has reviewed the bill if they want to make any comments in regard to the bill. Economic Development and Infrastructure, Mr. Ramsay.

Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.

Mr. McLeod, for the record, could you introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Justice. It’s in regard to the federal government’s tough on crime legislation and the possibility of minimum sentences.

I think, as a territory we should learn from other jurisdictions, regardless if it’s the United States who took the same approach and who ended up building more jails and having more people incarcerated, and for simple, petty crimes, that they end up in jail because it’s a minimum sentence.

As we know, the Northwest Territories probably has some of the highest crime rates in Canada in regard to Aboriginal...

Thank you, Mr. Minister. General comments. Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Deh Cho Bridge Act; Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act; Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Territorial Parks Act; Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act, and would like to report that Bills 15, 16, 17 and 18 are ready for third reading. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.