Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Policing services are an essential service similar to health care, education, and more importantly, the service that we basically do not have sometimes we take for granted. I’m talking about RCMP services to the community of Tsiigehtchic, a community that I represent that does not have full-time permanent RCMP members stationed in the community.
Over the years I’ve raised this issue and now the remedy was to station an RCMP member in Fort McPherson to serve the community of Tsiigehtchic. From the records, it indicates that some 73 calls have been made to the RCMP detachment in the last year for services, yet the community continues to raise concerns with myself as their MLA, that they make their calls and are not getting the response they were hoping for. In most cases they’re not getting the response regarding the incident and in most cases the incidents don’t get investigated or responded to.
As a government we have an obligation to serve all our communities in the Northwest Territories and enhance our policing service regardless the size of the community. In light of the situation in Tsiigehtchic, I know the department has been in the community several times along with the Minister. Commitments have been made to the communities that they were going to enhance the presence of police in the community, they were going to enhance the visits by the RCMP and spend weekends in the community. Those were great promises. I think it’s important that the Department of Justice and the RCMP find a system by working with the community to find a workable solution so that they can have policing services that are deliverable and meets the community’s needs and brings down the crime rates in our communities, ensuring that we have safe, vibrant communities.
At the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of Justice questions on this matter.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
