Glen Abernethy - Community Safety Strategy

Ministers' Statements and Speeches

(May 30, 2013) - Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northwest Territories know their needs and priorities and communities should take the lead on determining how to address issues, like community safety, that matter to them. The Department of Justice is committed to assisting communities and the NWT has been recognized throughout Canada as a leader in community-based initiatives like our community justice committees. Today, I would like to speak to Members about another initiative we are introducing to support our people and their communities, the Community Safety Strategy.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, crime, violence and substance abuse continue to be issues that our people struggle against. Left unchecked, these problems can create a cycle of harm that spreads its effects throughout our communities and damages the sense of belonging, safety and wellness that a strong, healthy society should provide. Dealing with the effects of crime and violence alone is not enough. To create the sustainable, vibrant, and safe communities that are a priority of this Assembly, we need to be working to strengthen the social fabric of our communities and establish feelings of confidence, trust, engagement and partnership among our people.

Our new Community Safety Strategy will help bring an end to this cycle of harm. Like our community policing plans, this strategy takes a community-first approach that empowers them to identify their own priority safety issues. With support from our government, they will work to set their own goals for resolving these issues and develop plans to address them. These will be community plans, Mr. Speaker, that will be effective, sustainable and responsive to local needs because they will have been developed by their residents.

The goals of the strategy are to increase involvement, help people learn what they can do to create healthy, safe communities and encourage innovative ideas. We also expect communities will benefit from increased capacity as they gain experience in developing their own safety plans. The growing sense of empowerment, confidence, accountability and self-reliance that will come from taking charge of their own issues, will also help to reverse the cycle of harm and build the social cohesion that all healthy communities need.

Many of our communities have said they want to stop bootlegging; this strategy will help them make plans to do that. It will help them work together on plans for youth and Elder initiatives or on-the-land programs that fit with their priorities. Through this strategy, the Department of Justice will be there with the support and tools that communities need to achieve their own safety goals.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Tulita is ready to start working on their own community safety strategy and we will be holding our first sessions there in the next few weeks. This will be followed by sessions in two additional communities in the near future.

A strong prosperous territory is built on a strong society sustained by a healthy environment, Mr. Speaker. The Community Safety Strategy is one of several strategies this government is working on that will support our citizens, grow our economy and help us protect our environment. This includes work like the Anti-Poverty Strategy, the Early Childhood Development Framework, the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, the Economic Opportunities Strategy, Energy Strategy and Mineral Development Strategy.  We know similar approaches to community safety have met with great success. I look forward to telling Members about the difference the Community Safety Strategy is making in our communities in future Sessions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.