Civil forfeiture in Nunavut? The GN wants your input

Nunavut RCMP seized this illegal liquor and cash in 2010. The GN wants to hear what Nunavummiut think about civil forfeiture as a way to take the profit out of crime. (FILE PHOTO)

The territorial government is proposing a new law to cut down on bootlegging and drug dealing in Nunavut, and it’s looking for the public’s input.

The Government of Nunavut is touring parts of the territory this fall to hear what Nunavummiut have to say about civil forfeiture.

That would allow the territory to obtain a court order to confiscate property that is considered the proceeds of or an “instrument” of illegal activity, the GN said in a Sept. 24 release.

That would allow law enforcement to seize cash or other materials made through the sale of illegal alcohol or drugs.

The goal of the legislation in jurisdictions where it has been passed is to take the profit out of crime, and in some cases, to compensate the victims of crime,

Laws exist in a handful of Canadian provinces that allow the Crown to confiscate property which is deemed to be linked to illegal activity.

But critics of civil forfeiture say it amounts to a shortcut, allowing law enforcement to seize assets without the proof of guilt.

The GN is hosting consultations on the proposed law start Sept. 28, in Rankin Inlet, at its Nunavut Arctic College campus at 7:00 p.m.

The consultations stop in Baker Lake Sept. 29 and in Cambridge Bay Oct. 2. The GN will post information about future consultations in the coming weeks.