David Ramsay

That’s okay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the Minister’s response to that, but again none of us that were in that meeting in GED knew that was going to take place. Perhaps in the future the Minister could let us know that that type of consultation is going to take place after the fact. I know it took place before the fact, but I didn’t know it was going to take place after the fact. I know it’s very important for the City of Yellowknife, very important for the tax-based municipalities to get on with things, and these amendments will allow them to do this. I don’t see any difficulty in approving...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Brian Dejardins, with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities, who is with us here today.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the RCMP’s operation yesterday, they brought in a drug dog from Peace River and one from Wetaskawin, Alberta. I know in last year’s budget, we had approved funding, $1.2 million, which included a search and rescue/drug dog and a handler. I wonder if the Minister knows when that resource will be on the ground here in the Northwest Territories able to help tackle the drug wave here in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his response. I will be careful with my questions. I know and can appreciate the difference in the Crown prosecutor’s office and the Minister’s department. Are the resources currently in place in the Crown prosecutor’s office to deal effectively with those being charged with drug trafficking? That’s the question, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken numerous times in this House about the devastation drugs are having on our communities and families here in the Northwest Territories. As a Member of this House, I have gotten phone calls from constituents heavily addicted to crack cocaine trying desperately to get some help. They get treatment and they try to get their lives back together. However, when they get back to Yellowknife, they face their demons head on once again. Drugs seem to be everywhere they turn on every corner, and they can’t seem to get away from using the drugs.

I have heard...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will keep my comments fairly brief. I appreciated the fact that we had the opportunity to go through the public hearing on these three amendments on Tuesday. I certainly can feel for the municipalities in their need to get these amendments approved and get on with life. I will be supporting the amendments as they stand. The one quick issue that I wanted to bring up, and I don’t know if it’s the way things are normally done, but we had the public hearing on Tuesday and somehow something funny happened right after that meeting obviously, because I think the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to seek unanimous consent to return to item 5 on today’s Order Paper. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the operation yesterday was targeting more high-level drug trafficking. Could the Minister let the House know if the department is working with the RCMP on targeting the street level crime that’s taking place and the street level drug trafficking that is taking place here in the city of Yellowknife and other communities around the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Justice. It gets back to my Member’s statement, where I was talking about the drug crackdown that took place here in Yellowknife and in Edmonton yesterday. I know there is a good deal of work that went into the operation yesterday and the ongoing investigations that are in place. I wonder what the Department of Justice is going to do to ensure that all of the hard work yesterday by the RCMP will have the maximum impact of keeping drug traffickers off of our streets. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.