Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Transportation, I wish to inform the Legislative Assembly that the Departments of Transportation and Justice have been working intensively on preparing new, tighter legislation to deal with impaired driving in the Northwest Territories.
New legislation is required to establish an administrative procedure that allows enforcement officers to deal promptly with people who continue to endanger the lives of others by driving motor vehicles while impaired. At the same time, the new legislation must respect the rights of an individual to fair treatment and due process under our system of justice.
Other Canadian jurisdictions have been challenged in their attempts to create an effective environment that penalizes those drivers who disregard the law and continue to drive while impaired. New legislation for the Northwest Territories must be sound and must achieve the result for which it is intended; making our roads and highways safer for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, I want to confirm with the Assembly my commitment to bringing forward tighter impaired driving legislation for its deliberation. I am equally committed to good legislation that can withstand the scrutiny of the courts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause