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Wednesday March 2 2016 3 POLITICS JUSTICE Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 Kevin OReilly MLA Frame Lake 867 767-9143 Ext. 12110 Kevin_oreillygov.nt.ca Northerners appreciate your dedication and achievements improving the lives of women and girls. Michael McLeod MP Northwest Territories Michael.McLeodparl.gc.ca March 8 2018 is International Womens Day When women and girls have the opportunities and resources to succeed it enriches all of society. We are all stronger when women and girls are empowered By CRAIG GILBERT The government of the Northwest Territo- ries gained a signicant body of legal experi- ence when former Fort Smith town councillor Louis Sebert was elected MLA for Thebacha in November one which Premier Bob McLeod wasted no time tapping into by naming the rookie Minister of Justice. In a phone con- versation with the Journal Sebert opened up about challenges facing the NWT justice system and how it could be improved the dis- proportionate number of Aboriginal men in- carceratedhereandhislongstandingpersonal support of marijuana legalization. Northern Journal You spent years as a defence lawyer and are well aware of the disproportionate number of Aboriginal men in prison here. What insight do you have on what needs to change to address that Minister Louis Sebert The department has recognized the overrepresentation of Ab- original inmates as an issue. Were working with other jurisdictions also facing the same issue. Apart from the programming that actu- ally takes place in jails were trying to look at therootcausesofcrime.Webelievethosehave to be addressed before we see a real change. For example weve been working in con- junction with Education Culture and Em- ployment and Health and Social Services on the anti-poverty strategy early childhood development and mental health and addic- tions strategies. Were hoping all of these will lead to a crime reduction over the long term. Wealsohavespecializedcourtsthatwereat- temptingtohavedealwithpersonswhodond themselves in front of the courts. They include specializedcourtslikewellnesscourtwhichdeal withpeoplewithaddictions.Itwasestablished in 2014 to provide an alternative court seeking toaddressunderlyingissuesofdrugandalcohol addictionmentalillnessandcognitivechallenges presentedbyoenders.Ibelievethisisbasedon models that have shown some success in other jurisdictions principally British Columbia. We also have the Domestic Violence Treat- ment Options DVTO court which is in Yel- lowknife and Hay River. Depending on re- sources because not only must the court be therebutyouhavetohaveotherresourceslike counsellors and so on it might be expanded. Smith is a possibility. People in Smith now who want to avail themselves of the program are often travelling to Hay River. So those are things were trying to do. Both dealwiththerootcausesthatleadtocrimeand alsoshouldoendersappearincourtwewantto lookatalternativestotraditionalincarceration. NJImprovingaccesstojusticeinparticu- lar when it comes to family court was listed In conversation with the justice minister among the 18th Assemblys draft mandate. Couldyouelaborateonhowyouplantodoso LS We do have probably the most generous legal aid system in the country. We have both clinic lawyers I think theres about 15 of them andalsolawyersinprivatepracticethatarehired by Legal Aid to deal with les. We are hoping to increase outreach. One of the lawyers in the clinic has been going out to virtually all of the communitiesanddealingwithpeoplethatkind of fall between the legal aid system and being able to hire a lawyer lets say in a dispute with yourlandlordorsomethinglikethat.Werehop- ing to ll that gap by increasing the mandate if I can put it that way of Legal Aid. NJ The Trudeau government seems pretty committedtofulllingitselectionpromisesin- cluding to legalize marijuana. Has the federal governmentsoughtanyinputfromyourselfor the GNWT on the prospect of that yet LS Its interesting I went to a federal-ter- ritorial justice ministers meeting in Quebec City at the end of January and it didnt come up. Physician-assisted dying was prominent in the discussions. The Quebec governments people spoke extensively to that. Were not sure how this is going to roll out. Notheyhavenotsoughtoutmypersonalopin- ion on this laughs. Im expecting some sort of change in the federal legislation - and Im just speaking for myself this is not a position of cabinet or of this government - but I expect it will be somewhat like when we went from prohibition of alcohol to allowing it to be sold. That would seem to be at least partly a provin- cial and territorial function. Its going to be in- teresting to see how this rolls out. I dont think weve examined extensively what our reaction isgoingtobetothechangeinthecriminallaw ifIcanputitthatway.Imnotcertainhowhigh a priority that is for the federal government. I think somehow were going to gure out how if it is legalized how it will be sold if it will be likecigarettesandalcoholprobablybutagain thegovernmenthasnttakenarmpositionon that and we havent examined it extensively. NJWhatareasofgrowingandsellingwould beunderthejurisdictionofprovincesterritories LS We havent had that discussion. I know the production and sale of alcohol is certainly surrounded by a great amount of provincial and territorial legislation so Im not certain how that would roll out. NJ I understand youve written in support oflegalization.Isthatanaccuratestatement LS My personal position not the position ofthiscabinetorthegovernmentisthatIhave been for some time in favour of legalization. I accept there can be some bad eects but we accept those with alcohol use also so I see it somewhat in the same category as alcohol. Probably there would be some upsurge in use when it becomes legalized but I dont think it would be a tremendous upsurge. I think after prohibitiontheyfoundtherewassomeincrease in alcohol consumption and with alcohol we accept that a certain percentage of the popu- lation is going to have diculties with it and that may be true also but hopefully a little less so with marijuana. NJWashingtonandColoradoaremakinga killingintaxrevenuesnowthatitslegalthere. LSThatsoneofthereasonsIwasinfavour.I thinkisntitbettertohaveitregulatedandtaxed thantohaveitpartofanundergroundeconomy to some degree controlled by criminals NJ As a longtime defence lawyer you un- derstand that would alleviate pressure on the justice system as well wouldnt it LS Certainly legalization would and I havent been going to court for the last year or two but there was not a tremendous number of people in the courts lately with marijuana charges. Sometimes they were arrested for something else and marijuana was found in their pocket. There still are a large number of Canadians I know would have a record for convictions and Im not sure how the federal government would deal with those. I just dont think that happens very much anymore. Filephoto Louis Sebert with Constable Je Hemeon after being sworn-in to Fort Smith town council in No- vember 2012. Now NWT justice minister Sebert discussed incarceration rates access to justice for Northerners and what legal marijuana in Canada could mean to the NWT with the Journal.