Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Justice has completed negotiations for a two-year agreement that will see the GNWT receiving $1.24 million to increase the number of aboriginal RCMP officers in the Northwest Territories.

This funding, from the Government of Canada’s First Nations policing program, announced last October, will support a number of projects, including: a recruitment strategy to encourage aboriginal individuals to consider joining the RCMP; an access program to help applicants meet RCMP entrance requirements; a community consultation on policing in the Northwest Territories; and, changes to the formula for funding existing aboriginal RCMP officer positions.

Mr. Speaker, the recruitment strategy and access program will ensure that aboriginal candidates have the encouragement and support they need to succeed in becoming RCMP officers. In return, the Northwest Territories will have a police force that reflects and responds to the cultural diversity of our communities. The community consultation project will help both the Department of Justice and the RCMP understand and meet the policing needs of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank officials from the aboriginal policing directorate for working with Department of Justice officials to bring this funding to the Northwest Territories. For many years, the Department of Justice has worked to help the federal government understand the unique challenges facing policing in the North. The successful negotiation of this funding shows that with hard work, the GNWT and the federal government can successfully address the unique needs of the Northwest Territories.

These projects will change policing in the Northwest Territories. By increasing the number of aboriginal officers, our police force, the RCMP, will be one that reflects and responds to the needs of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with our partners, RCMP “G” Division and federal officials, over the next two years and beyond to meet the unique policing needs of our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause