This is page numbers 1299 - 1316 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was land.

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Mary Louise Sanguez Eulogy
Members' Statements

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Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mary Louise Sanguez was born on September 6, 1930, in Horn River, near Fort Providence. She was the only child born to Baptiste and Adeline Sabourin. She had a half-brother. She married James Sanguez when she was 15 years old and had her first child at 16. She had 15 children in total, 29 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren.

She liked to tan moose hides and make slippers, mitts, gloves, moccasins, and mukluks. Her mother taught her at a young age how to work on moose hides, and she passed that knowledge on to her daughters. No matter the weather, there was learning to be done. Her daughter Lucy took her travelling to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario for family events, like weddings and the swearing in of her granddaughter as an RCMP officer.

About 45 years ago, Mary Louise and her daughter travelled to numerous places across Canada to showcase her work. Pictures of her work can be found in the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the Yellowknife Heritage Museum, and the museum in Whitehorse.

When she moved to long-term care, she didn't want to stay in her room all the time. She liked to be "in the thick of things," as she would say. She was used to noise, and she liked to be in the middle of the action. She wanted to see people coming and going and visit other residents.

She passed away on March 22, 2020, 40 years and one day since her husband, James, passed on on March 23, 1980. She is predeceased by her parents; her husband, James Sanguez; half-brother, Jimmy Sabourin; son, Morris; and two daughters, Florence and Virginia.

The family would like to thank the Fort Simpson long-term care staff for looking after their mother during this time. The family would like to share this quote with us: "Your mother is the greatest mom in the world for you." She will be sadly missed.

Mary Louise Sanguez Eulogy
Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

I would like to welcome all those who are joining us in the gallery today. It's always good to have an audience. Member for Sahtu.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome Ms. Tracy Yakeleya, who is the constituent assistant for Sahtu. Thank you.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Sahtu. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I look at the community of Hay River and consider our population, our proximity to the border, and the limited number of RCMP stationed there, it concerns me in that we are understaffed when it comes to dealing with illicit drugs. Can the Minister of Justice confirm the number of funded RCMP positions and support staff in Hay River and around the NWT? How is it determined that this is the number we require to provide effective policing in the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Justice.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Northwest Territories, there are 225 RCMP positions and 42 public servants who serve the NWT as part of the territorial police service agreement and First Nations policing agreement. In addition, there are 13 federal policing positions. Specifically in Hay River, there are 16 regular members, including 12 constables, who we would see out on patrol, and three public servants. This includes two additional members who are included in the 2018-2019 budget.

To the Member's point about the resources in Hay River, I know that over the past few years there have been staffing issues, and it has been tough to get that detachment staffed up. I know those have been taken care of, and I believe they are at full capacity and that they have been for the last couple of years, which is good news.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

The drug trade in the territories, you seem to hear more and more about it lately. We have more youth dying because of it. What I would like to ask the Minister is if he can confirm if the direction this government is taking to combat the drug trade in the NWT is working, or is the department re-evaluating their approach to the way they deal with the drug trade?

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

In terms of combatting the drug trade, despite what the perceptions might be, it is my opinion that, the RCMP and the Department of Justice, this is the last line of defence. The first line of defence is preventative measures. It's ensuring kids have something to do in the evening so that they do not go out and get into trouble. It's ensuring that there is the type of supports that kids and adults need in terms of counselling, having easy access to those things. However, the Member's question is about what we are doing for enforcement, so I do have some information.

Enforcement is not just the RCMP. There needs to be a multisector approach. Of course, the Department of Justice and the RCMP have been working with health and education and NGOs over the years on things such as the Opioid Task Force, which included the department and subject matters in the RCMP who have been working closely to ensure that we do not see the type of opioid crisis here that we have been seeing in the South. There is also collaboration on the alcohol strategy.

We have all seen the significant number of drug seizures over the past number of years. Every time I look on the news, there is a photograph with a pile of drugs, a pile of money, and then guns, and we see those on a regular basis. In addition to those large seizures, the RCMP are also focusing on enhancing the frontline officers' ability to target drug trafficking at a community level through collaboration, training, and development. We do not hear a lot of the things that the department, that the RCMP do, as well. I know that, speaking with the RCMP in Hay River, they have partnered or they work closely with the RCMP in Alberta, and they stop drugs before they get into the territory. We don't see that. We do not hear a lot of the things they do. They are not self-promoters in a lot of ways, and maybe that is so the people do not figure out their tactics. However, I am always happy when I speak with them and I find out that they are doing things that I never knew were happening. There is also the development of a gun and gang strategy that the NWT is embarking on with support for the federal government. There are a number of things that we're doing. That being said, this is the last line of defence. We really need to work on the first line of defence.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Can the Minister of Justice confirm the annual cost specifically associated with drug enforcement? This would include a breakdown of RCMP, courts, and corrections cost, knowing that there is probably an education component, a health component, and all that. It's just those three I'm asking about.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I can't provide a breakout. Drug enforcement is so intertwined with everything that the justice system does, whether it's an RCMP doing a drug seizure, whether it's a court hearing, a case, or whether it's someone in the prison system. It's not possible without a significant amount of time and effort to really parse that. I will go back to the department and see if we can get some more precise information, understanding that it would be impossible to get the exact numbers that you're looking for.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I would like to see on that is a cost between what it costs for enforcement versus education, so I guess it would be the last line of defence versus the cost of the first line of defence. The last question I have is: can the Minister tell me how much emphasis is placed on education addiction support in the battle to reduce access to drug dependency in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Again, that's a big question. Education is part of addiction support that I would assume would include everything from being able to call a counselor to being sent away for counseling and aftercare. I can give a little bit of information about what's happening. In the schools, in grades seven to nine, there is a program typically offered called the Fourth R, and it's a skill-focused and relationship-based program. Each grade level includes a unit on substance abuse and addictions and related behaviours, and that makes up a good chunk of the program. The high school level, there is the Healthy Relationships Program Plus, which includes a unit on the impact of substance use and abuse. There are counselling supports in schools, whether it be the Child and Youth Care counselors, itinerant travelling, mental health school-based counselors, community counselling program, and so on.

I'll speak a little bit about the education done by the Department of Health. The Department Health has the Dope Experience, which is a campaign focused on cannabis, which was developed in consultation with Northerners and northern youth and northern youth supporters. There is a public awareness campaign about opioids, there is the My Voice, My Choice campaign for youth wellness, and there is the NWT Help Line Facebook page. There is a lot of effort being put into this. That being said, there are a lot of things out there. I've spoken to students in school. There are so many things that they need to get to into in the curriculum, but this is one of them. I think, sometimes, it's in one ear, out the other. There is no easy fix. I've listed off a ton of things that are happening. This is something that takes collaboration, not just with the government and organizations, but with every individual, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, my first question is: does the Minister acknowledge that there is an issue of systemic racism faced by Indigenous staff within the correctional division of the Department of Justice? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister of Justice.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, in the Member's statement, she referenced comments by the Prime Minister about systemic racism, by the AFN National Chief about systemic racism, and she could have referenced the MLA for Hay River North's comments at the Black Lives Matter rally at Hay River recently because, in every western institution, there is systemic racism. There is no getting around it, and anyone who disagrees I think is willfully blind. That said, it's how we deal with it. The North, I think we do a better job than other places, but these are systems that were created in a colonial culture. Systemic racism exists, and we have to deal with it. We have to use the advantages we have in the territory and the people we have in the territory to ensure that it doesn't creep into our systems and then, when it is there, that we can get it out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Addresses against systemic racism must start somewhere. Can the Minister explain what the terms of reference are for the recent workplace assessment, which is being completed by an independent contractor, and explain what the expected outcomes are? Also, would the systemic racism issues in the files that were presented by my constituents be addressed by this assessment? If not, how is the Minister going to address these issues?

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I apologize. I'll talk slower for the interpreters. I know I've been racing through things. The workplace assessment is being undertaken by a third party across corrections. The goal of that is to tease out the issues that employees feel they are facing, to determine how the workplace relationships, roles, responsibilities, and the operations of the corrections services can be improved. From the data that is collected, I'm going to make sure that we look at that data with an eye to systemic racism and what could be symptoms of systemic racism.

I know there are a number of questions in that single question, so I'll try to answer all of them. The Member has brought constituent issues to me. I believe that some of those constituents might be participating in this assessment, and if they are, I hope they bring those cases forward. As I stated, I'm going to make sure that we look for systemic racism. Again, I don't have an intimate knowledge of this assessment and the questions being asked, but perhaps those might not exactly target systemic racism in the way that we would like them to. I'm going to make sure that we try and tease those out, if we can.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

The Minister sent me some emails, which were puzzling, regarding the individual files and my concerns of systemic racism at the Fort Smith Correctional Complex. Bureaucratic answers given to me by the Minister when this is such a hot and pressing issue for my constituents who are Indigenous staff are not acceptable. Will the Minister be more thoughtful, considerate, and give more compassionate solutions to systemic racism within the corrections system?

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

The Member is correct. She received bureaucratic responses from me, which are not common. Those are usually the ones that are sent back, but when they are answers to HR issues, I'm going to send a bureaucratic response. I don't want to get into the specifics of HR issues. That's not a Minister's role. That being said, there are times when HR issues can indicate a larger pattern, and that's when we do have to pay attention. I have read every document that the Member has shared with me from her constituents, and I am using that to help inform my understanding of the justice system.

Question 364-19(2): System Racism in Corrections Division
Oral Questions

October 19th, 2020

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, the Indigenous staff at the Fort Smith Correctional Complex deserve justice. Systemic racism at this facility is unacceptable and must be corrected. I am wondering if the Minister will take the high road, do the correct thing, and acknowledge systemic racism. My question is: will the Minister consider doing an external review of the Fort Smith Correctional Complex? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.