The second day of CKDM’s MLA Q&A saw the three Dauphin MLA candidates continue to talk about the issues facing Parkland residents.
The question asked this time is, what needs to be done to address crime and justice?
This is NDP Candidate, Darcy Scheller's answer.
“I’m not an expert at it. We have authorities, law enforcement here in place, that I want to work carefully with to make sure that as a community we’re helping them. There is crime watch and block watch and those types of things, but I really think that just working together as a community, taking care of each other, and making sure our law enforcement are being respected and being able to do their job.”
Liberal Candidate Cathy Scofield-Singh has her input.
“That is a multi-tiered process because you have to find out, what are the primary causes of that crime? Is it because of the drug addictions going on out there? Is it because of poverty? Is it because kids are bored and there’s nothing for them to do? We need to find out what are the root causes of crime and then we can address it. We know that addiction is a huge issue and that it’s intertwined with mental health. The people out there who are dealing with drug addictions often times are masking their mental health issues. So, when we look at what is triggering people to become involved with addictions, we need to look at what the rationale is behind that. Is it because they have ADHD and they’re trying to calm themselves down? Is it because they have anxiety and they need to calm themselves down so they take some drugs out there to calm themselves down? Is it because my friend next door is doing the same thing and we have nothing else to do? We need to address that as well. So, dealing with crime is a multi-pronged approach, because we need to figure out what are the root causes, and then help address those causes.”
And finally PC candidate Brad Michaleski shares his thoughts.
“One of the biggest things again is, probably a higher level of law enforcement is a part of that solution. But again, another part of the solution is creating a job environment and educational environment for the kids and for people so they see a future. It’s not something you can directly say turn a switch and all of a sudden everything’s going to get better. I think when we look at the justice system and how that’s been handled in the past, the approach that our government has been taking is more of a restorative justice. Where you have community involvement, a lot more community involvement, and you’re really addressing the issue of crimes and justice by focusing your efforts to prevent it in the first place.”
Be sure to listen to "CKDM's MLA Q&A" during the 7, 8, Noon, 4, and 5 o’clock newscasts.
