Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If every drug dealer who was arrested was never to be seen again, we'd be in a much better position I think. But the fact is that they often stick around. So just -- you know, there's three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and the courts. And so in the same way that I can't tell you, Mr. Speaker, what to do or any of the MLAs what to do, I can't tell the courts what to do. To add more complexity, the Criminal Code is actually a federal statute. So that's the federal government who makes that determination. So what we're dealing with here is a situation where the courts, which are independent from the executive, are interpreting the Criminal Code, which is a federal statute, and that's how they make their determinations about bail. And I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, I just met with all of the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety last week, and I met with all of the Premiers earlier this year, and bail reform is a topic at both of those tables. There is a big push nationally, and I'm part of that, to take steps to ensure that what the Member is talking about doesn't happen. If there are people who are negatively impacting a community, if there are drug dealers that are, you know, actively working to get people addicted, are kidnapping people, torturing people, getting them into human trafficking, that we are sentencing them appropriately starting right when the application for bail is made. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm on the same page as the Member. This has been one of the focuses of my time as the Minister of Justice and will continue to be a focus. Thank you.
R.J. Simpson on Question 330-20(1): Illicit Drug Trade
In the Legislative Assembly on October 21st, 2024. See this statement in context.
Question 330-20(1): Illicit Drug Trade
Oral Questions
October 21st, 2024
See context to find out what was said next.