The committee has received advice that the SCAN legislation itself may not directly violate the Charter the way it is written. The committee does recognize that the evolving nature of the law believes that all steps should be taken by government to ensure respect for individual rights. One area of concern is public comments that the Minister of Justice has made with respect to the purpose of the legislation. The concern of the committee is that SCAN must not be an attempt to infringe on federal jurisdiction with respect to criminal law or be a vehicle to chase citizens from the Northwest Territories.

The NWT Human Rights Commission also pointed out in its written submission that the comments made by the Minister in the consultation document are problematic in relation to section 6(2) of the Charter as it relates to mobility rights in Canada.

It has been suggested that if the government wants to ensure the viability of the SCAN office, it would be helpful for the Minister to clarify the comments that the committee has brought to his attention.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to turn it over to the MLA for Range Lake. Thank you.