Charles Dent

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Corrections Canada paid the entire cost for their staff to come up and work with our staff in the facility here. They feel that it is a good training opportunity for their staff to see how another operation works, as well. We sought the assistance from an experienced person in B.C. on the human resources side, and the corrections department in B.C. only asked that we pay 25 percent of his salary for his work with us, as well as his transportation costs.

We have gone out to find economic ways to accomplish things. There was always an expectation that in the move to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although they have already been recognized, there are three constituents who I recognize that I’d like to make note of in the gallery today. Lyda Fuller, the executive director of the YWCA is with us.

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Mr. Fern Denault, the president to Federation Franco TeNOise.

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And Mr. Bill Graham. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When Mr. Villeneuve was asking about services to his communities, he was referring to inmates from the South Slave region. I was referring to the number of inmates in the facility from the South Slave region. That, in the past couple of weeks, has been one or two. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that we’re not talking about adding. Even if we were talking about adding positions in the North Slave Correctional Centre, it is not in the remand part of the facility. I’m not aware that there have been any concerns about staffing in that area, and my understanding is that the vacancy in beds could be filled up without there having to be an increase in the numbers of staff. At this point, the two are not the same. If we’re talking about an increase in staff in the facility as it stands, it would be the same as an increase in the overall staffing...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have any money in the budget to do that. I have given up, in this budget, the $400,000. The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is in the budget that’s before the House, we have reduced the expenditures by $400,000 and have said in order to achieve this reduction, we have to close the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre remand unit. Mr. Speaker, we will function this year with $400,000 less. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of better, I don’t know if it’s a question of it being a better setting. The issue is really one of having two facilities when we can accommodate the prisoners with one. That’s where the savings are. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The magnitude of the numbers is, I am sure, relatively close to what the exact numbers are going to be. Whether we are saving, $300,000, $400,000 or $500,000, there is a significant savings to close this facility. So even if my numbers were wrong, they are not wrong by that amount. The amount of money that’s in this year’s budget, Mr. Speaker, is $400,000 less than what it would take to keep that section of the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre open. That’s what the department has given up. So whether the department is exactly right in the numbers that have been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What we are saying is that we think that the transportation of people on remand can be accommodated for very close to that number. Again I am saying it is plus or minus. If we have a few more or a few less, it will change. Yes, based on historical data, that number is pretty close to what is expected. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My figures are based on historical data. However, we could get two or three more remand customers next year, or two or three less, so the numbers will change. They won’t be exact over the next year. The numbers that have been presented to the Member are in fact based on historical evaluations. We took the logs from South Mackenzie Correctional Centre and looked at how many times inmates have been in and out for remand or in and out for appearances in court, and used those numbers.

Yes, there has been an in-depth look, but I can’t predict exactly how many people we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t make that commitment. The budget that we have brought forward obviously involves the layoffs of staff in order to meet our fiscal target. I can’t guarantee that people who have received layoff notices are going to keep their jobs in the public service.

We didn’t issue any layoff notices to people who work in the remand facility in Hay River. Not one layoff notice was issued there, because none of the folks are getting laid off. They will be absorbed into the staff at South Mackenzie Correctional Centre. The staff at Dene K'onia…It is unfortunate, but if we...