Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's been -- well, the crime reduction unit in the RCMP that this Assembly put in place has now finally -- or is now fully implemented and off to work. We know that one of our biggest challenges here is the flow of illicit drugs into the Northwest Territories from the south. Can the Minister of Justice tell us how this -- how the crime reduction unit is making a difference in fighting the drug trade. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the crime reduction unit is an integral part in investigating organized crime within the Northwest Territories as well as they have worked together with other jurisdictions across Canada. You know, this unit has, as you can see by the many actions that have taken place across the Northwest Territories, have certainly provided support to officers and community investigations to put a very small dent in the drug trade and certainly have helped to disrupt that trade as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, and I believe the largest ever drug seizure, 4.7 kilograms of cocaine and over $360,000 of cash was seized. So just want to commend the crime reduction unit and the RCMP for doing that.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister just said it's a small dent. How can we enhance this unit and our efforts to combat drug traffickers? We need to do more than a small dent. We need to take the fight directly to them and make sure we make the biggest impact with our limited resources. So is the Minister working on that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, certainly agree with that statement. I think it's important that we make a big dent in the drug trade, and I think that right now the RCMP have focused on a campaign to attract more Members to the Northwest Territories, I think with some success. When I spoke of this item last time I stood up in the House and talked about staffing, we were at a 30 percent vacancy rate. That number is now 18 percent. So that's a move in the right direction. You know, in my conversations with the commanding officer, they're focused on the recruitment and encouraging people to come to the Northwest Territories. And I think a big part of this is that we continue that communication with the citizens of the Northwest Territories to support the work of the RCMP and to support all of our communities in ensuring that that information that's required to disrupt this drug trade is getting to the people that need to have it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The youth aspect of the drug trade is very concerning. We heard stories about it last night. Although this is not really in the Minister's mandate, it is definitely related to the drug trade and definitely related to the RCMP. So can the Minister work with the RCMP to do more youth outreach and education to ensure the risks of the drug trade are well understood by young people and they are making more positive choices. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, certainly very engaged in that area. I think that that's really important. In recent conversation with the commanding officer, you know, he was telling me about the level of engagement that the Members are having within the communities all across the territory, including the city of Yellowknife, to try and get involved in activities with the youth, whether that's through sports or other devices, and ensuring that we're getting that message out, you know, through the schools and through our activities as being part and a really integral member of the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
