R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have discussed this with the RCMP. They are not making that request for an additional K-9 unit so it's hard for me to force it on them if they're not asking for it. That being said, the landscape has changed. The ability for the dogs to go and do random searches of people essentially is not there anymore. And so we need to look at what other tools we can utilize that are going to be more effective given the new legal environment that we're living in. Thank you.

Thank you. So in this activity that we're discussing, Executive Council offices, there's the Ministers' offices and there's the Premier's offices. I would say that I could use a couple more Ministers to distribute the workload. So it could even get a little more top heavy in this area. But, you know, that's a constant criticism of government, that it's top heavy. We always hear it. But I have to say that in this area here, I think it's probably a little thin. Thank you.

Thank you. We are just looking for that information right now. We should have it it's under Executive Council offices I'm being told. Thank you.

Yes, I do.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The K-9 unit was established in Hay River after the death, the murder, of Constable Chris Worden. And it was stationed there until 2018. That was the time when the RCMP undertook a review of the situation, and they determined that it was not as effective to have the police dog in Hay River. It's a territorial asset. And so if there was an incident in the Sahtu, let's say, they would have to fly to Hay River, get the dog, and then head up. There's a number of other situations as well. I can leave it at that I guess, because things new things have come to light. But...

Thank you. I'd like to through you, Mr. Chair, I would like to hand it to the director.

Thank you. Again, this is another federal program and so we had an agreement with the federal government to receive funding through the Guns and Gang Strategy. The federal government discontinued that strategy but we have recently confirmed that that money is being reprofiled to the same end, but in a different program and so we are awaiting details on that. But we hope to be getting into discussions and signing it as soon as possible. Thank you.

Thank you. The UNDRIP Implementation Act that was passed in the last government, as the Member said, we are legislatively required to codevelop an action plan to achieve the goals of UNDRIP with Indigenous governments. And so we are in the process of doing that right now. And that will help guide future investments that will be reflected in future budgets. Thank you.

Thank you. I will hand it over to the deputy minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I think we're skipping ahead a couple sections this time, but I will say that in terms of the negotiations when it comes to the budget, I think that we can do what we need to do within the budget. I've been meeting with the negotiators. I've been talking to the departments. I've been expressing my views on how we need to proceed. And I've been meeting with Indigenous governments. And the department will be bringing forward options to try and get by some of these roadblocks on some of these negotiations. Thank you.