Some presenters saw the SCAN legislation as an attempt by government to be seen to be doing something without actually producing results.
The existing justice system was seen to be time-consuming and increasingly lenient in dealing with offenders. SCAN legislation could be seen as a way of warning offenders rather than prosecuting them under criminal law.
Members believe that while SCAN legislation may be able to speed up the justice process, it will do nothing to help alleviate the systemic problems in the justice system or to deal with the root causes of the behaviour that make legislation like SCAN desirable for some individuals.
The Committee heard a great deal of frustration in communities with the inability of the courts and RCMP to deal with crime at the local level.
How can the Government expect four officers to do what 150 RCMP officers have not been able to do? A community with a dozen RCMP officers still has to dispatch calls from its residents through Yellowknife. Can Members of the 16th Assembly expect to see requests for further personnel if SCAN does not meet initial expectations of success?
Mr. Speaker, I would now like to turn it over to Mr. Pokiak.