Thank you, Mr. Arlooktoo. Mr. Krutko.
Debates of Feb. 18th, 1998
Topics
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you. Will those 22 groups be recognized as a pilot project that was just concluded in Fort Good Hope? Is that the scenario they are going to use? Will they do it under that particular project with regard to the First Nations Community Policing Program? Will those 22 communities who have signed an MOU, will that be a similar pilot project arrangement as was done in Fort Good Hope and Coral
Harbour?
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First, on the earlier question, the community policing coordinator, Mr. Gunther Lobby, will be going to Tsiigehtchic in the next few days, as it happens, to deal with this issue. We are working with the RCMP in the community.
On the Community Constable Program versus the pilot project, I did say the Community Constable Program is seen to be a viable option that works for many, if not most, communities. It is somewhat different from the three-year pilot project that occurred in the two communities. There are no plans to extend the pilot project to any other community, but we do have instead, the Community Constable Program.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Arlooktoo. Law enforcement, operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $28.015 million. Mr. Krutko.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Regarding the community policing, out of the 22 communities that have been identified, how many of them do not have police officers located there at the present time?
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a specific number that we could find out. There are a small number of communities that do not have regular RCMP members but do have somebody trained under the Community Constable Program.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
May I ask another question? Are the majority of the people who have signed for an MOU, communities without policing?
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The opposite is true. The majority of the communities that have signed MOUs, the vast majority have regular RCMP officers. This is seen as something that compliments the law enforcement capability or the community policing aspect.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
I thought communities would be asking for policing such as the community I represent, Tsiigehtchic, who have been asking for police or a nurse to be located in their community but nothing has been done. I see an opportunity to allow those types of communities who do not have policing in their communities. This program will probably be beneficial for those communities that do not have that opportunity at the present time. In light of that, I think it is crucial this avenue be taken to assist those communities where no police are located. The comment from the Minister, where he said it was the opposite, I do not see how they can assist communities where you may not need a full-time police officer in regard to the amount of funds we pay to have the RCMP deal with law enforcement in the territories, but allow the communities some mechanism to have policing. I would like to ask the Minister again, of these communities, the majority of those communities who do not have policing, what is the ability of those communities to use this as one of the mechanisms they can, to have policing they have been asking for?
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to add one thing I had not said when we talked about the Community Constable By-law Program, is that the Department of MACA is intimately involved and is one of the partners of this successful program. This, as the Member says, can be seen as a way of helping the communities that do not have regular RCMP members. I did say there were a few of them. We can provide a list to the Members by tomorrow of where those communities are. We can help them get policing personnel increase in a sense, in that community. What you basically have is a program that provides training to individuals, perhaps by-law enforcement individuals in the community who are sent down on a four-week training course to the RCMP Academy in Regina, where they are taught things like basic law, self-defence, firearms and community policing. Initiates are then sent back to the community with enhanced training and a wider view of the world. In that sense that is what it does, it helps that community which does not have an RCMP officer and it also helps the communities enhance that portion, even though they might have RCMP officers.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Law enforcement. Mr. Krutko.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to move a motion, but maybe I will allow the other Members if they want to speak on this issue before I come forward with my motion.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. I have Mr. Steen on the list on law enforcement. Mr. Steen.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, some of my communities are the ones which they are concerned about the lack of police services. One of the questions that comes up is, is there a formula in place whereby it is the ratio of police officers versus population of the community?
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to point out, first of all, that our community policing coordinator, Mr. Gunther Lobby, who I had indicated would be in Tsiigehtchic in the next few days, will be in Tuktoyaktuk tomorrow working with the community on the Community Constable Program. Whether there is a formula for having RCMP in the community based on their population, I do not think so. Some of the communities that have or do not have RCMP constables have them because of historical reasons, this is why the RCMP has been there for a long time or have not been there. Some could be there for other reasons such as crime rates, et cetera.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, could the Minister indicate then, who would then decide the number of police required for this territory? Would it be this government that indicates the number of police force that we require? There is a contract between this government and the RCMP. Would we be the ones indicating what number of police officers we need or is that done by the feds?
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you, Mr. Arlooktoo.
Committee Motion 16-13(5): Recommendation To Formulate A Strategic Plan For Policing In The Western Territory And Nunavut
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The policing contract is paid to the RCMP in a split between the federal government and ourselves, 70/30. I believe, 70 for us and 30 percent that the federal government pays. The RCMP puts its plan together on where the RCMP should be and deals with its staff internally. The GNWT, generally, does not have involvement in that area. I am told that if we were to have involvement, if we were to suggest to the RCMP to put an RCMP member in a particular area, it would most likely mean additional expenses the GNWT would have to pay for.