Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Justice Minister. In recent years since marijuana has become legal, the inclusion of hard drugs into our smaller communities has increased dramatically. Every time a known drug dealer is apprehended, they are set free with a promise to appear never to be seen again, and another person is sent to finish the transaction. When is this government going to start protecting the residents of the Northwest Territories by imposing stricter sentences on drug-related crimes? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Justice.
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 situation where the courts, which are independent from the executive, are interpreting the Criminal Code, which is a federal statute, and that's how they make their determinations about bail. And I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, I just met with all of the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety last week, and I met with all of the Premiers earlier this year, and bail reform is a topic at both of those tables. There is a big push nationally, and I'm part of that, to take steps to ensure that what the Member is talking about doesn't happen. If there are people who are negatively impacting a community, if there are drug dealers that are, you know, actively working to get people addicted, are kidnapping people, torturing people, getting them into human trafficking, that we are sentencing them appropriately starting right when the application for bail is made. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm on the same page as the Member. This has been one of the focuses of my time as the Minister of Justice and will continue to be a focus. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Local authorities have always requested the assistance of community members, and the residents are much too eager to lend their assistance and regain their community and feel safe within their own homes. When and how will this government start to join in the fight against alcohol and drugs to ensure the safety of our future? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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 legislation that is intended to help the communities and the RCMP address these impacts. And, again, I'm working nationally advocating for bail reform and an examination of the laws around search and seizure to ensure that we are giving the law enforcement the tools they need to be able to investigate and arrest and prosecute and put away drug dealers and those who are harming the community. One of the things we need is for people to testify. And I know it's tough in small communities. People's families are threatened. But ultimately, that's one of the biggest issues we have is that it's hard to get people to testify against drug dealers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My final: Public engagement is key to finding solutions. Will this government look at reaching and conducting public consultation to find solutions to this crisis that we are facing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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 Minister of Justice, we are looking at how we can better integrate health and the law enforcement to try and direct people where they need to go. We're looking at integrating services so that those people who need assistance have an easier time getting assistance and we have a -- we're more effective at delivering assistance. I'm not going to speak to the health file. I know my Minister of health is capable of that. But we are taking a whole-of-government approach to addressing this issue. I recognize the seriousness of the drug issue in the Northwest Territories. We've added RCMP officers every year since I've been Minister. We've just approved a new crime reduction unit that is being staffed right now and I hope to see going operational soon. We have the new emergency response team, Mr. Speaker. A lot of work is happening in this area. Is it going to be enough? If we all work together - the government, the communities, and residents, then I think it will be but it's going to take a lot of effort. And we're putting that effort in and hopefully we're going to see the results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
