As I’ve indicated earlier, diversion is just one tool in our arsenal, and
it is proving to be effective in many ways. We’ve got statistics from other jurisdictions that have done some analysis on recidivism and they’re seeing positive responses there. As far as what we have as an actual analysis of diversion only, I don’t have that information, but I will commit to looking at the department getting some information on recidivism with respect to diversions that we’ve done.
But I have to say, once again, we have to deal with the root causes of crime in the Northwest Territories, and as I indicated earlier in my Ministerial statement, poverty is truly an issue here in the Northwest Territories that is driving crime rates. We need to work as an Assembly, and as all people in the Northwest Territories, to battle and combat poverty, which means we have to find jobs, we have to deal with housing, we have to deal with health, we have to deal with mental health and addictions. We, as a government, both sides of this House, are doing that work, and we need to continue to do that work to help reduce crime rates here in the Northwest Territories.