Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to bring the concern of alcohol and drugs within our communities. This issue is nothing new to the residents of the Northwest Territories and this government. The legalizations of marijuana, the dealers from the southern region of Canada have had to resort to hard drugs to keep their business going. Unfortunately, these hard drugs have made their way into our communities within the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, when I was the interim band manager for the Tetlit Gwich'in Band Council, we dealt with the influx of alcohol and drugs on a daily basis. We would have interagency meetings, and the common denominator of all the community problems was alcohol and drugs. We had resource people invited to our meetings in hopes of finding a solution, but their hands are tied with policies and procedures. We have concluded that these people, whether they are from the community or not, seem to have more rights than the lawabiding citizens of our communities.
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that we have our own people within our own communities involved in these illegal activities our own people killing our own people. It is the amount of money that one can make without being worried about the consequences that is being imposed on others.
Mr. Speaker, as a band manager, and now as an MLA, I have been contacted by residents who are worried about the future of their community and their families. Some of these residents have lost members to alcohol and drugs. In the past few years, there have been local members of and others from the south who have been caught conducting these illegal activities and, to this day, these same people are still in this illegal trade.
Mr. Speaker, we have worked with the RCMP and they too are exhausted, both physically and mentally. This is a nowin situation. We have been requested to help the RCMP with tips but the offenders are detained for a day or so and released with a promise to appear. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have taken the wrong approach. We need to target the persons who are addicted to these substances and get them help therefore the bootleggers and drug dealers have no customers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.
