Debates of October 12, 2005 (day 8)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement today I quoted George Washington, who said, "The administration of justice is the firmest pillar of government." Mr. Speaker, I spoke about the reintroduction of the Special Constable Program in the Northwest Territories. I do not believe that the present RCMP recruitment methods for aboriginal people effectively increased the presence of aboriginal policing at the local and community levels in the North. Can the Minister of Justice inform this Assembly whether the Department of Justice has considered reintroducing the Special Constable Program in the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There have been a number of community policing consultations recently. Out of those discussions the issue of special constables has been raised. I want to assure the Member and the House that our government is interested in having a police force that’s representative of the general public and representative of the population in communities. So we’re very interested in better understanding how we can move closer toward that.

Our approach the past number of years has been to look at the First Nations policing policy and try to get that expanded. I think Members know that much of the funding available on reserves in the South is not extended to the North, and we think that that needs to be corrected. I would say that the RCMP have very recently started to look -- I think probably because of the proud history of the special constables in the North and within the force -- at this option again. We do know that the regular force is maybe not the best option for everybody. The reality is that if you are a regular officer, the possibility of you having to move outside the North is there, and there are some who might want to be involved in the policing and not prepared to leave the North.

So we’re looking at some options that might be able to address this. They’re very preliminary, but the RCMP have started to discuss this, and I’ll certainly be prepared to come to committee and sit down and discuss this with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is correct that these one-time special constables provide a very valuable service to the RCMP as a whole. Because of the lack of RCMP in the smaller communities, I’d like to ask the Minister on the Special Constable Program, can he provide some written documents to the House in terms of the type of substantial discussions held with the RCMP in the Northwest Territories in reintroducing this program to the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll ask the department to have a look and see what exactly we have that we could provide to committee. Again, I want to assure the Member that we are starting preliminary discussions around this. The community consultations on policing have reflected and provided us with the feedback that communities are interested in reviewing this. Again, very preliminary; we’re just now sitting down to discuss it, but I would certainly be prepared to share with the Member and committee any of the briefing materials that I have in this regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister. The next question I’d ask is if the Minister would give a firm commitment for the February session in terms of what to expect with the reintroduction of the Special Constable Program in the North. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the first thing we need to do is assess the feasibility of the reintroduction of special constables. This is a program that’s not, to my knowledge, used across the country anymore and I think what we’re looking for is a specially designed program that recognizes the needs of the North. I’m not sure entirely how fast we can move this. I’ll certainly press the case. I’d like to sit down in November with my colleagues from the Yukon and Nunavut. We meet with the other federal, provincial and territorial Justice Ministers to talk about priorities. This is something that I’m prepared to address at that table, but, of course, it requires federal government funding. So we have to find a way to convince the federal government that this program makes sense as well. I’m prepared to take up that cause and bring that to that table. Hopefully I’ll have some news by February, after our November meetings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the special constables have played a special and very important role in our communities. Again, it’s one of the many lists of things that the federal government seems to have some control over in terms of how many RCMP are provided in the Northwest Territories. It seems like we’re left to the whims of the federal government in terms of federal funding. Are there any types of plans? I understand that the Minister has talked about meeting with the federal government and his counterparts. Are there any types of assurance or some sort of satisfaction the Minister can give in saying yes, this is going to be an item of high priority that the counterparts and the Yukon and Nunavut would jump on board with in terms of reintroducing the Special Constable Program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t speak for my colleagues, but I would indicate to the Member and to the House that they’ve been very receptive. We have discussed a number of priorities for the upcoming meetings. The First Nations policing policy and the extension of that to the North is one of the first priorities. I think this fits well in that regard also.

The Member should know that under our current policing arrangement we’re responsible for 70 percent of the costs for regular officers. One of the reasons we’re interested in the expansion of the First Nations policing policy is that the funding arrangements shift to 54/46. So we would have to come up with 54 percent of the budget. To be honest and frank, that allows us to put more police officers on the ground, and that’s what we’re interested in. So the best way for us to be able to do that is certainly going to be of high priority for my colleagues in Nunavut and Yukon, and I’m sure they’ll be receptive to these discussions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker…(Translation not provided)

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Apparently the interpreter has stepped out, so we have no means of interpreting your questions in your language. Would you like to switch to English or wait?

Mr. Speaker, I can do it in English if you want.