Charles Dent

Mr. Speaker, that level of detail I don’t have in terms of the staff complement of each facility, but I am sure the Member is aware of the corrections entry level training program which is in place at the facility and the practice has been to help people advance. There are other initiatives. We are, for instance, even in other facilities, working to provide mentorship and training for candidates to make sure they are prepared to become wardens. It’s not something new to the department or that facility. There is, in fact, a considerable amount of work that goes into providing assistance and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that individual was unavailable at the time that we wanted to have the audit work done. Rather than hold it up and wait until both were available, it was felt that the person from Corrections Canada was well qualified to conduct the audit or the review, and that is the reason that it went forward at the time it did. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in response to the first question, yes, I am aware that corrections officers do hand out medications to inmates, and to the supplementary, they are only handed out under the direction of medical staff, and only when officers have completed a training course.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The total staff complement for the RCMP would not be reduced. The contract that we have with them pays for a certain number of personnel, but the RCMP often make decisions about where to place staff and as demand changes, the location of staff will change. So if the need increases in Fort Simpson, I would expect that the RCMP would make sure that that position was then filled in that community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a few weeks, I will be travelling to the Sahtu with the Member. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the community and discuss what needs to happen in that project to replace the school. We can certainly have that discussion with the community when we get there.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will certainly commit to the Member that I will discuss the staffing issues with the RCMP the next time I meet with the chief superintendent, but I will remind Members that it’s always an RCMP decision as to where staff are located and they make their decisions based on the volume of work. There is no intent for us to reduce the total staff complement with the RCMP. In fact, I am hoping that we will, over the next two years, be able to increase the level of staffing in our contract with them to respond to the request that they have submitted to this government....

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been advised that there is one vacant position in the Fort Simpson detachment that the RCMP is not planning to fill at this time. I have been told that this is based on the workload that they currently have in the detachment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, this assembly has to approve the funds for a capital plan, but it will certainly be my intention to move the funding forward for that school replacement as expected and shown in the infrastructure plan for the next few years.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware that some forms of assistance that are provided subject to treaties are exempt from calculation when we’re examining how much support to provide somebody on income support, but it is specified sources. That income has to come from a specified source. I’m not sure if the payments to harvesters are specified, and I have asked the department to look into that and advise me. Thank you.