R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And yes, the Residential Tenancies Act, it will be reviewed by this upcoming summer. That is stipulated. And we'll see what we can do in there. I want to look at every avenue that we have to ensure that we're protecting communities, not supporting drug dealers and drug houses, and finding every way to give communities and the RCMP the tools they need to protect communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as the Member alluded to, there is cross-jurisdictional scans that will be required. There's examination of the Charter challenges that have been brought forward. There's going to have to be discussions, obviously engagement, throughout the territory on this, engagement with other jurisdictions who have had the legislation. So there's a lot of work, and I don't plan on making this an unconstitutional hammer. There was a challenge in the Yukon recently. There was a decision rendered that one minor section -- or one section -- I won't say minor, of that SCAN Act was...

Yes, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the Department of Justice has gone out to communities to consult on issues. For my policing priorities, I actually write to leadership across the territory and ask what I should include in those policing priorities. Ultimately I'll say the solution to this problem is a public health solution. As long as there's a demand for drugs, there's going to be drugs. There's no two ways about it. It's been borne out around the world and over the ages. So what we need is for -- what we need is healthy communities. That's really the ultimate solution. And so in my role as the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If every drug dealer who was arrested was never to be seen again, we'd be in a much better position I think. But the fact is that they often stick around. So just -- you know, there's three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and the courts. And so in the same way that I can't tell you, Mr. Speaker, what to do or any of the MLAs what to do, I can't tell the courts what to do. To add more complexity, the Criminal Code is actually a federal statute. So that's the federal government who makes that determination. So what we're dealing with here is a...

Mr. Speaker, as we approach the one-year mark of this government, I would like to reflect on the progress we have made in strengthening our partnerships with Indigenous governments and the Government of Canada. Our recent trip to Ottawa, as part of the Council of Leaders, is a testament to the collaborative spirit we have built with our partners, and I am pleased to provide Members of this Legislative Assembly with an update on that trip.

Earlier this month the Council of Leaders, made up of the GNWT and Indigenous governments from across the NWT, traveled to Ottawa to meet with federal...

Thank you. With me today, I have Mr. Brad Patzer, assistant deputy minister Attorney General with the Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm here today to present Bill 7, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2024.

The Department of Justice routinely brings forward Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Acts which make changes to various statutes that require minor amendments, or where errors or inconsistencies have been identified. These must not be controversial, involve the spending of public funds, prejudicially affect rights, or create a new offence, or subject a new class of persons to an existing offence. The proposed amendments are minor, uncontroversial or non-substantive, and many consist of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And we are in the fight. We've been in the fight. One of the things that I do in relation to the RCMP is I provide the policing priorities of our government. So the RCMP, again, they are independent. Their operations are dictated by them and by the Department of Public Safety federally, but I provide the policing priorities. The number one policing priority that I provided -- and there's only four. Number one is to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs and alcohol in the Northwest Territories. So we are working on this. I have committed to introduce additional pieces of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, I must recognize former Premier Handley. I appreciate him being here, and I must say I have a new-found respect for the work that he has done as Premier as well as all others who have done that work. So thank you. And I also want to recognize him as the chair of the board of governors of Aurora College and thank him for that work as well. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.