Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These are not new numbers. These rates have been higher than the national averages in the Northwest Territories going back 10 or 15 years. So there hasn't been anybody who has been able to assess why we have such a high incidence of crimes. There are a number of different theories. They range from poverty to lack of opportunity and lack of jobs. But there is no question that there is a significant social problem that is demonstrated through the crime statistics in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Justice what specifically the Minister and the government are doing to address the dismal statistics that are out there in terms of our crime rates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As was noted by the Member for Hay River South, this is an issue that requires us to deal with problems that we face in our society, up front. We can't deal with them all after the fact. So I am working with my colleagues in the social programs envelope to look for opportunities to deal with the social problems that we face in the Northwest Territories and to try and find ways to deal with them before we see the criminal statistics. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister specifically, in terms of crime prevention strategies, what has this government got to offer in terms of crime-prevention strategies for its residents? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the best crime-prevention strategies is a good education and a healthy community. Those are certainly things that this government has put as high priorities and that we are working on. Those areas are seen as crucial for reducing crime. Programs like the ones where the RCMP work with young people in schools to try and reduce the amount of violence that we are seeing in schools and help kids understand better ways to deal with their problems. Those are certainly areas in which we are supportive. It is not just in Yellowknife that you see RCMP in the schools. Every community that I have gone into that has RCMP...I talked to the officers, and they all tell me that they try and spend as much time as possible in the schools because they see that as being a very positive way to reduce crime in the long run.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Justice. Mr. Speaker, of the small communities, 11 of them I counted are without full-time RCMP members in the communities. I guess I do not understand the system. As soon as you get an incident in Yellowknife, there is an RCMP right away into the schools and into the communities. I want to ask the Minister of Justice why our 11 small communities in the Northwest Territories are without full-time RCMP members or some type of law enforcement in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The situation has arisen because, over the years, the RCMP has provided services in the Northwest Territories. Historically, they started in some communities and expanded into other communities across the Northwest Territories. As the government has had funding to put into the RCMP contract, that has expanded to the point where it is right now. The level of investment that it would take to add police to those 11 communities, if it were to be done all at once, has been a challenge, particularly since the federal cuts in the mid-1990s. This government, after being presented with the resource request in 2001, has gone a long way to provide the RCMP with the resources they need just to deliver the service in the communities in which they are right now. As our financial situation improves, I have no doubt that we'll be able to take a look at other situations. I am constantly talking to Chief Superintendent Summerfield about this issue. It is one that every time we meet, it comes up for discussion about how we can better serve the small communities. A number of initiatives have been undertaken in the past year to try and improve the service to small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would ask if the Minister would consider again implementing some alternative law enforcement programs if the cost is too high with the RCMP in terms of placing full-time members in those small communities. There are 11 communities in the Northwest Territories who do not have law enforcement. I want to ask if he would consider a program to have some type of law enforcement presence in those communities.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, every time I discuss RCMP activities in the Northwest Territories with the chief superintendent, this is an issue that I raise. I have a meeting scheduled with the chief superintendent for, I believe, it's two weeks today and I will again raise that issue with the chief superintendent and I'd be happy to report back to the Members.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to see in those discussions if the Minister would commit to a time frame within which we can go back to our communities, especially some of the communities that are going to be impacted directly by the pipeline such as Wrigley, Tsiigehtchic, Colville Lake, who have a lot of activity going on there and other communities I might have missed, that they would see RCMP presence or some type of law enforcement presence in their community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is an issue we would have to address, Mr. Speaker, through the business planning process because it would require a significant investment by this government. But it is certainly something that I can talk to the chief superintendent about and we can report back to the Members on what sort of investment it would take. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister of Justice consider going into those communities that do not have an RCMP and talking to the small communities...