Rylund Johnson

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I believe I will be seeing that in a SUP.

Can the Minister provide I know there's quite a bit of money coming forward from the RCMP collective agreement, and the big question is the retroactive number. I know this is conversation happening all across Canada. Does the Minister have any update on when and how much we are expecting to see retroactively for the collective agreement?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are some conflicting views on raising the minimum wage and what the minimum wage should be established. These views were well sought out in the minimum wage committee report, and if that was a public document people could see that debate but it's not, Mr. Speaker.

Some economists feel raising the minimum wage brings inflation while others say it actually helps the economy by increasing purchasing power of citizens.

However, Mr. Speaker, there's one thing we can all agree on, that the cost of living in the Northwest Territories is way too high and living on $15.20...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Can the Minister just enlighten me a little about how our police contract works with requests from the RCMP for more staff? We are padding another $2 million to the policing budget. It's been on a bit of an upward trend. As the Minister noted, we've added officers to another community number of communities. I'm just does the Minister have to agree to these? Is there some sort of arbitration when the RCMP say they need more resources? I'm just kind of curious how we negotiate with the RCMP the appropriate level of resourcing. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, I recognize it would probably take some concerted effort and, you know, I know we lost we've really been losing our courthouses outside of Yellowknife, and the one in Hay River is really not doing what it used to let alone Inuvik. So I think it would take a very concerted effort by the Department of Justice.

I'm just curious, we have a remote work policy now and there's a possibility for people in Yellowknife to work outside. And, you know, I suspect there is actually probably a few lawyers in the territory who would be willing to relocate to a community for...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I'll just make some comments here.

You know, Scotland I'm going to step out a little. Scotland presented passed a presumption of short sentences of three months. They just said it didn't make it sense to jail people for that long. They lose employment. They lose housing. And that was so successful they actually made it for a sentence of less than a year. They just don't put people in jail for less than a year. They use probation, alternative measures, treatment, whatever else. And I think, you know, if we did that we would have no one left in prison. Anyone...

Thank you, Madam Chair. During I believe it was the capital budget, we were talking, and our corrections are at an alltime low. Part of this is, we suspect, due to COVID and the courts have been shut down but also just a number of other factors. I was just wondering if the Minister had an update of whether we're seeing any trends that the number of inmates is going to go back up? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, I think this is in need of a review. And, you know, I like the idea of getting as many community ones as possible and, you know, for some of the smaller liquor infractions or probation infractions, please divert them, do it at the community level. But I'll note most jurisdictions have some sort of higher up diversion. You know, Alberta alternative justice, where you can refer someone from anywhere in the province and they run, you know, weeks ontheland programming. They run really elaborate diversion programming that I just don't think any one of our one community...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Does the Minister have an update on whether all of our community justice committees are up and operating? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Can I get a bit of an explanation as to what the internet child exploitation unit is? I see there's $390,000. Are those officers that would be located in the Northwest Territories, or is this a contribution a federal kind of level? Thank you.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I look forward to seeing the SUP going forward in this fiscal that we're reviewing now I guess next fiscal, and I'll have a number of questions then.

But it's my understanding that we're actually hoping to reimburse some people who have already paid childcare costs in this calendar year. Can I just get an update of how that work is going and when we expect that to occur? Thank you.