Over the years, we have heard politicians say the darnedest things.
However, Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) Minister Caroline Cochrane gave a master class in Hay River this month on political illogic, along with a healthy dose of passing the buck.
Cochrane was appearing with other members of cabinet at a question-and-answer session during the annual meeting of the NWT Association of Communities.
Hay River Coun. Vince McKay asked Cochrane – the minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation – about drug traffickers and bootleggers living in and practising their illegal trade in public housing, and whether the GNWT could develop a policy to prevent it.
You would think any politician would hit that question out of the park by expressing empathy for the community, promising to look into the problem and committing to taking action, if warranted.
Cochrane began by saying she didn't agree with drug dealers or bootleggers, before saying it was a bigger issue than that.
She then seemed to offer a stream of consciousness response which was at the same time disturbing, nonsensical and even a bit bizarre.
Cochrane explained she looked at the problem from a feminist perspective, meaning that women and children may be penalized if they are in a family unit with a drug dealer or bootlegger.
The minister seemed to suggest that a drug trafficker or bootlegger having a family should be taken into account when considering what action should be taken against that illegal activity.
We would respectfully suggest that more consideration be given to the damage that drug traffickers and bootleggers are doing to other families.
And Cochrane was just getting started.
She noted she is responsible for 2,600 public housing units and 200 market housing units, and she can't go into every home to act as the police and can't decide what is appropriate or not. Amazingly, she added people have a right to privacy.
What can you say about that sort of thinking? As the minister responsible for public housing, she is responsible for all those homes. It's right there in the job title. Of course, she can't go into each one, but she can set policies on what is acceptable behaviour.
As for the right to privacy even being mentioned in a discussion of drug trafficking and bootlegging, that's just ridiculous. When the RCMP obtains a search warrant for drugs, do they worry about violating someone's privacy?
Cochrane also noted people call her about drug dealers and bootleggers, and she tells them to call the RCMP, explaining that if those bootleggers and drug dealers are arrested they will lose the houses.
But she then blamed people for not calling the police, saying if they don't call they are part of the problem.
Judging by her comments, it apparently hasn't occurred to Cochrane that, as minister responsible for housing, it is also her responsibility to call the RCMP about suspected illegal activity.
That is about as clear a case of a politician passing the buck as you will ever hear.
So, Coun. McKay, best of luck in getting your concern dealt with by MACA.