Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today because this motion is very important. It strikes at the very heart of how we govern. The issue really before us is how are we supporting and treating our people. And I'm going to -- and I think that we need to move forward and recognize the consequences of inaction because we find ourselves in a crossroads not just in the history of governance but also in the very story of our communities. It is a story that has been long defined by resilience, by the quiet strength of people who know what it means to look out for one another in the face of the vast and often unforgiving landscape. But today, if we are honest with ourselves, that story is being tested.
The North we love and the communities we raise our families or children in with the comfort of unlocked doors and the feeling of the kind of chill one doesn't come with winter but the chill now of the insecurity people are suffering from. This growing sense has changed the way our North is. This motion is merely a collection of whereases, but to be honest, they're a collection of we must dos, because people are demanding to feel like we're taking part and taking ownership of our challenges. We must be all collectively a part of the solution, but the government must lead. So this is a call to reclaim our neighbourhoods in some ways, our communities, our families, to strengthen them. It is to acknowledge the hard truths that southern gangs have been poisoning their peddled devices and preying on the vulnerabilities of our people. Even the chief superintendent of the RCMP, two days ago, pointed out that 40 percent of these types of criminals are southern-based. And if I remember correctly, I think he said 19 percent of them come back, you know, so they don't give up. They keep coming back North.
You know, there's an old adage take the customer away and the seller will go. Unfortunately, addictions doesn't work that easy. I'd be fooled to pretend it was that simple. So we have to recognize this problem. We are now in a 21st century, but we're dealing with this in the 20th century silos.
Mr. Speaker, we've seen the Department of Justice do its part. We know health and social services is trying to do their part, but the cracks between these silos are huge and people are falling through them.
When a young man in a small community loses his way, it isn't just a justice issue. It could be simply a housing issue of where it started. It may even be an education issue. It's an issue of whether a warm meal or a mentor to tell this person that they mattered. That could have been the issue.
This motion is calling for a whole-of-government response, not just passing the buck. No more, that's not my department. We need one strategy, one budget, one goal, Mr. Speaker. The safety of our people matter, and that's the message this motion sends and hopefully that's the motion that they'll build upon and that's the message we'll see action on.
Now, Mr. Speaker, let's talk about our youth. Every time a young person is recruited into a gang, it is a failure of our collective imagination, I'd say. We must out-recruit the recruiters. That is all our problem here. In other words, we're all part of that solution. We can pretend we're not, and we can point the fingers again and say, oh, it's someone else's problem. But everyone in this room is responsible in some way to help guide these folks right back into the normal path for our greater community. We must all offer a collective vision that the future is brighter than the false promises of the streets. That could mean, should mean, and I hope it means, things like better after-school programs that aren't just daycares but they're also arenas and mentorships. It means land-based healing and reconnecting our children, our young people, to the strengths of who they are, their culture, because that is the sense of pride we must continue to instill in people. Culture is something that could never be wasted. We must share it, and we all benefit from it. Even if it's not our culture, there's such lessons of embracing it that we will all gain greater strength within ourselves, including understanding. Because we know when children go astray and there are challenges, but we must not let them go.
We also need to be clear eyed about enforcement. Let us not be fooled. That is still a role. We need community policing where the officer isn't a stranger, but they are our neighbour. We must make them part of the community. And yes, even Ottawa has a role. Our government has a role to speak truth to power, have our government make sure that we articulate that the bail system must reflect the realities of small-town life.
In a community of 500, a no-contact order is a hollow promise. It just doesn't work. Even in Yellowknife, a no-contact order in a city of 20,000 people is challenging. Safety must be a priority. We cannot continue to put people at risk just to keep the paperwork moving along.
And for those struggling with the grips of addiction, the wait is over. We must do something. That's got to be the message. We cannot keep sending our people south to heal in a world they don't recognize, a world they may not want to be in, one they don't feel safe or familiar in. We need an in-territory treatment centre and facilities. We need a recovery aftercare program that happens to be either on the land, in their community, but around their family and part of the community in a meaningful way.
Now, let us be real. People will fail, and the lessons of stumbling and sometimes falling may be frustrating, but the lessons to be learned there is to be relentless and not give up. Even the witnesses, families, and friends to these challenges, we must not give up. So we have to recognize these lessons that they will be challenging, and we must be resilient in ourselves to help support them gain the strength so they can stand on their own.
And let us never forget, healing is not just a medical process. Healing is a journey. And you cannot do it alone. Even more reason, Mr. Speaker, why I say we need an in-territory process that digs deep and connects even deeper.
Finally, the strategy will not be a document that gathers dust. That's how I envision it, Mr. Speaker. I would like to see it costed, time-bound, and measured. Because the people of the Northwest Territories do not need rhetoric. They need results. They need to see them, but they also need to feel them. They need to know that their tax dollars are working as hard as they do. So as I work hard, you work hard, our community works hard, we know we're investing properly into a system that supports our people. We must continue to maintain that critical humanity. That's what we do here. We have to support people. Because I question why we're here if we're not. That is an important role.
These challenges we face are not easy, but we must do them because they're hard and someone must rise to the challenge. We must not be afraid to rise to that challenge. And at times it will feel impossible, Mr. Speaker. But I'm reminded of the words of those who came before us, those who built this territory out of hope and hard work. They didn't shrink from the challenges of their time, and I say let us not shrink to the challenges of ours. Let us choose hope over fear. Let us choose action over apathy. Let us pass this motion and begin the work of building a new North, a stronger North, a healthier North, a North that we can all feel proud that it's our home.
Mr. Speaker, at this time I'll be requesting a recorded vote so I don't forget. Thank you.
The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Range Lake. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member for Monfwi. The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Mackenzie Delta. The Member for Deh Cho. The Member for Sahtu.
All those opposed, please stand.
The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Yellowknife North.
All those abstaining, please stand.
The Member for Thebacha. The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Cam Lake. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River South. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member for Nunakput.
All those in favour, 8. Opposed, 2. Abstentions, 7. Motion is carried.
---Carried
