Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the sharp increase in drug crime cross the North is having a severe impact on my constituents, and I know my colleagues in this Assembly are struggling to handle this crisis as well. Drugs are flowing up from Alberta through South Slave and eventually distributed into every region of the Northwest Territories. No matter how remote or isolated our communities may be, these drugs seem to find their way in one way or another from the southern borders. These illegal activities bring in violence into our communities, results in health emergencies and overdose, tear families apart, and corrupt our children. They drain our communities of wealth, both financially and culturally.
When I visit my communities, I want to see my constituents on the land developing important skills and providing for themselves and their family. Instead, I see too many throwing their health away as they fall into this trap that these drug dealers lay for illegal profit. We all have many dedicated RCMP members working hard every day to stop the drug trade, but they need more support especially in the South Slave communities where police resources are stretched thin. One vital piece of support they need is a dedicated K-9 unit of trained dogs and handlers that can intercept these drugs before they reach their distribution.
The South Slave RCMP had government funding for a K-9 unit over the year for ten years but over time, these services have been lost. Mr. Speaker, a K-9 based in Yellowknife is not enough. We want to get a handle on the situation. We need to restore our funding for K-9 units in the South Slave based in Hay River and not just for the sake of my community but to help the RCMP across the North because that is where we can catch large quantities of illicit substance before they are scattered in a dozen different direction in the North. I look forward to asking the Minister of Justice about restoring the K-9 unit funding in the South Slave region this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu NedheWiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
