Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice and I want to follow up on some questions I had to the Minister of Health and Social Services last week regarding youth at risk in our communities across the Northwest Territories. I get very disturbed when I hear stories from parents who are having a very difficult time with their sons or daughters and they run into trouble with the RCMP -- in this instance got caught drinking alcohol -- and no charges are laid or no consequence to the young people; their alcohol is poured out.
I’d like to ask the Minister of Justice what action he can take in trying to address these opportunities to perhaps turn a young person’s life around instead of looking the other way. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular incident, along with others in the Northwest Territories, is under RCMP “G” Division. They have their own federal jurisdiction laws that they have to follow, and what I can do as the Minister of Justice is to sit down and meet with the chief superintendent to highlight the concerns that are being addressed here today. I’m sure it’s been addressed within “G” Division already and I’m sure that there are processes being undertaken.
With that, I can pass on the concern that the Members have risen to the chief superintendent and discuss what action needs to be taken. Mahsi.
I thank the Minister for that. Having alcohol open in a public place is against the law, Mr. Speaker, and it’s even worse if you’re a 16-year-old young person in a public place that has open liquor. The other side of this, too, is the RCMP encounter these young people and they don’t even hold them until their parents get there. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could look into situations like that as well where obviously young people are breaking the law, why aren’t they held by the RCMP until their parents can show up. Thank you.
Mahsi. That can certainly be added to our discussion. Again, it’s under the direction of the “G” Division through their federal legislation laws that they have to follow in dealing with 16-year-old, 15-year-old or 14-year-old individuals that may be drinking with an open bottle. But I can seriously take those into consideration during our discussion with the chief superintendent of the RCMP “G” Division. Mahsi.
Thank you. In that one instance it was public drinking, open liquor in public, and the same young woman has even admitted to stealing close to $1,000 from family to the RCMP and no charges are laid.
Again, I want to ask the Minister if he can sit down, perhaps himself and his officials, that the Department of Justice can sit down with the RCMP and have a look at the entire picture and see where it is along the line that the RCMP can have a positive impact on trying to make sure that young people’s lives don’t continue to be put at risk. Thank you.
Mahsi. Part of our overall objectives and action plan is to deal with preventative measures, not just our department, also GNWT wide, and the RCMP “G” Division as well. So those are issues we need to take at hand where a concern is being raised.
The individual may or may not be stealing money or materials and we need to prevent those things from happening, what can we do now to deal with those issues. I think formally we can deal with the top guy, the chief superintendent of the RCMP “G” Division and along with the Member and my Department of Justice to deal with this matter at hand and how we can find a solution. There’s always a solution to existing challenges. So I’m willing to take that on with the chief superintendent.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s offer to talk to the superintendent of the RCMP “G” Division, but the Minister is the top guy in the Department of Justice and these issues are real issues that are facing young people around the territory. The reluctance to take action by the RCMP -- and that’s why I’m speaking about it here again today -- to hopefully intervene in a young person’s destructive behaviour has to be at the forefront.
You know, we can’t afford to look the other way. Again, we need to ensure that we’re sitting down with the RCMP and discussing these items. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could commit to doing this sooner rather than later, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mahsi. I agree that we are not looking away at that particular issue. Again, it’s a preventive measurement that we need to deal with, myself as the Justice Minister along with the federal law that’s before us. The RCMP “G” Division follows the federal law, as well. So we have to respect the Youth Criminal Justice Act as well that’s before us. Yes, the sooner the better. If we can have a meeting, by all means, let’s do that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
