Thank you, committee. The departmental total can be found on page 273, but we will consider that after consideration of the detail in the activities. There are eight activities in the Department of Justice, the first beginning on page 276, community justice and policing. Do Members for comments or questions? Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I just wanted to be sure that this is the right segment of the budget to discuss EPOs. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Could the Minister please confirm?
Sure. Certainly. Yes, I confirm. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green, when you use an acronym, when anyone in the House uses an acronym, if you would please at least for the first time let us know what you're referring to? It makes it easier on those following along at home. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my questions are about Emergency Protection Orders, also known as EPOs. I understand that there is some research going on with respect to Emergency Protection Orders in which the department is collaborating. Could the Minister please tell us more about that project? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm not entirely certain which project the Member is referring to. I wasn't aware of specific research on that issue. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, in a letter the Minister sent in November in response to an oral question I asked, he said that there was a study called "An Initiative to Investigate Effectiveness of Emergency Protection Orders in the NWT." This is continued research funded by the Family Violence Initiative Fund administered by the RCMP National Crime Prevention Services. That's the project I'm referring to. I'm wondering if the Minister can give us any detail on when we're going to see the results of this, and what will happen with the results from a departmental perspective. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you. Frankly, I'm not aware of this research. However, if research is being conducted on this issue, I think we'd be prepared to share the results of that research with committee. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. If the Minister needs time to flip through his briefing binder to find this type of information, just let me know. We can always take a recess, but I'll go back to Ms. Green. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm not sure what the gap in information is here. I realize the Minister is busy and sees a lot of documents, but this is something that he described in a letter that was sent in November. If he could make a commitment to come back to us with more information on this study. As I say, the timing of the completion, what will happen with the results, that would be very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Was that a tabled document? Do you have the name of that document?
The name of this document is Oral Question 10-18(3): Emergency Protection Orders, and it's dated November 23, 2017.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Is there anything further, Ms. Green?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. No, I don't have any additional questions on emergency protection orders. That's everything for now. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Anything further from committee on community justice and policing? Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm wondering if the department can take this opportunity to inform us how well the community policing plans have been going? Does everybody have current plans submitted to the department, and can they share with us, maybe, what some of the overarching concerns are that communities have with regard to policing, in particular those communities that do not have police situated right in their communities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand that all NWT communities do have policing action plans. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also ask what are the communities' concerns stemming from those plans, and in particular, the communities that do not have police situated directly in their communities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Further detail, Minister.
Yes. Certainly, Mr. Chair. I think that family violence is a concern of virtually all of the communities, and the communities that do not have detachments often have concerns about access to RCMP. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The community governments having shared those plans around raising those concerns, what is the department doing to address those concerns? I appreciate there's a lot of work being done as it relates to overcoming family violence, but in particular the communities that have no police presence, is there a long-term vision to either have more visits and/or permanently situate RCMP in the communities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Yes, Mr. Chair, and those communities that do not actually have a detachment, of course, the communities work with the RCMP to ensure that there is police coverage. So there is police coverage throughout all of the communities in the Northwest Territories. I know that in one or two, McPherson in particular, the level of police visits has been increased because there's now a residence in that community. Well, of course, the RCMP complete their consultation with the community leaders before the policing action plan is established, so they do hear the concerns of the communities and address them. As I mentioned, one that always seems to come up is family violence; bootlegging is also often a concern, particularly in the more remote communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you. No further questions.
Thank you. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd just like to follow up on some questions that Mr. Vanthuyne was asking in regard to my riding. In the communities, not Fort Liard, not Fort Simpson, and not Wrigley, but the other three communities, do we have a number of visits that they're supposed to be allocated per year? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to go through the number of patrols; there's a series of them. Perhaps I can just read them in. In Colville Lake, there were 14 patrols in 2015; in 2016, there were eight; and in 2017, there were 15. In Wrigley, I see that there were 24 patrols in 2015; 25 in 2016; and, again, 25 in 2017. Of course that would be out of the Fort Simpson detachment. In Sambaa K'e, there were six patrols in 2015, three patrols in 2016, and seven patrols in 2017. In Nahanni Butte, there were 11 patrols in 2015; 15 patrols in 2016; and apparently we don't have the information from last year yet. Jean Marie River, there were eight patrols in 2015, eight in 2016, and nine in 2017. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess my question is: are these scheduled patrols or are they on demand when people phone them in? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Clearly, in part, they would be on demand. If something came up that required the presence of the RCMP, they would attend. Otherwise, there is a schedule, but that's not for public consumption. It's probably better as far as policing for the patrols to be somewhat irregular and not known to the general public. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, and I understand you don't want to be showing the schedule, but I guess my question, though, is: does each community get "X" amount of visits per year, not including the patrols? I'm actually saying, it is scheduled to go in there. The people say overnight, they actually meet with Council, they meet with the people. Do these things happen? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. I understand that it depends somewhat on operational requirements and the ability to have residences for them to stay in, but again, we are confident that these communities, even if they don't have a detachment, are being properly policed by the RCMP. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I understand there are feelings towards this, but when leadership asks, you know, are the RCMP, on a regular basis, especially smaller communities, they're looking for a presence; and when I'm saying "a presence," it's also good PR working with them, working with the schools, making sure it's more of a positive relationship. So does the Minister, when they talk to the RCMP, discuss this option? I'll leave it with that right now, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's not as though the police are only going to these communities in response to criminal activities. So when they do go to the communities, I know their presence is known. I know that, in some of the communities, whether there's a detachment or not, the police are not as busy as they might be, they are quite involved in the communities. So I have no concern about that. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister then work with the department and work with the RCMP and provide us with an update -- it can be confidential -- on how many visits they go into the smaller communities, and some of the things that they do besides police work? In other words, besides the investigations and that, some of the things that they do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
