Justin Trudeau is no longer the country's prime minister, but that didn't stop him from using his final hours in office to push for reforming the .

And that has one MLA concerned about how policing could look in the NWT going forward.

Trudeau outlining his views for what a future would look like in Canada. One major change he's pushing for is the elimination of boots-on-the-ground law enforcement and move into federal policing priorities such as national security, organized crime and terrorism.

A white paper is a report that talks about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's thoughts on the matter.

The provides law enforcement services under the Territorial Police Service Agreement, which is set to expire in 2032, but Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart the proposed reforms put forth by Trudeau could put an end to what we would normally see at the local level.

"These proposed reforms could put an end to the crucial work the provide in the NWT and Canada's North by limiting their resources and scaling back the services they provide to the territory," he told the legislative assembly on March 13. "The has indicated that if these changes go through, as service agreements expire in the coming years, the NWT may have to switch to a new policing model, but it's very unclear what that will look like and how our territory will have the capacity to take on a greater policing responsibility."

In response to questions from Testart on the matter, Premier R.J. Simpson said the published paper took everyone by surprise, including him.

"No one that I know was expecting it," he said. "I don't believe the were part of the development of it, so there hasn't been a lot of discussions on this. I don't really have any insight into what the model could look like because those conversations haven't started."

The lack of consultation with was confirmed by Commissioner Mike Duheme, who the day the paper was published that changes do need to happen to "ensure the sustainability of federal policing and to position the to properly address the highest levels of crime."

Simpson did point to the fact that the federal government should collaborate with territorial and Indigenous leaders to define a new policing model.

In the paper, Trudeau stated that should be the case.

"In 2024, the Auditor General made recommendations to ensure equitable funding, effective partnerships with Indigenous communities, improved service delivery, along with other measures to enhance policing in First Nations and Inuit communities," he stated. "Canada remains dedicated to investing in First Nations Policing, ensuring that these efforts are responsive to, and reflective of, the unique needs and priorities of the communities they serve."

If there are any changes that would come to policing in the NWT, Testart suggested making the service even more representative of the communities it serves
and deal with some concerns that communities have had about not having officers at the local level.

"We've heard members on the floor here (who) have been advocating for police officers in their small rural and remote communities for 30 years," said Testart.

Simpson said any sort of new model is going to take some time, but the paper has given a chance to talk about what needs to happen.

"It is an opportunity to address some of the issues that have been ongoing issues in the territory in terms of the coverage of policing services and things like that," he said. "It will come with challenges, there's no doubt about that, but there's always an opportunity to improve something when we're starting fresh with it."

Under the current agreement between the GNWT and , the territorial government looks after 70 per cent of the costs associated with service, while the federal government pays the other 30 per cent.

Testart called on Simpson to demand more resources for officers in communities - Simpson replied that there has been some movement on that.

"We have advocated for more resources and we were successful in that advocacy by receiving more funding through the First Nation and Inuit Policing Program, which has closer to a 50/50 cost share," he said. "But that being said, we do have a contract, we do have a requirement to pay a certain amount, and so we can't get more resources from the federal government."

As it stands, 24 communities are serviced by the in the NWT.