Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use today’s question period opportunity to talk about the North Slave Corrections Centre. The information provided by the department said the position for the Aboriginal wellness coordinator has been empty since June 3rd. This is a vital position that provides much needed services and strengths and supports to those seeking rehabilitation.
I would like to get an update from the Minister today. Has this position been filled, and if it has been, when, and if it hasn’t been filled, what’s the plan for the department to ensure the rehabilitation efforts are being supported by those who want to help and certainly those who need the help? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The position has been vacant since June of 2014. We had run a competition and offered an individual the position. They subsequently turned the position down. We are in the process of looking at filling that position now on a casual basis until we can find a permanent person to fill that position. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I actually know one person who had applied for this position and I certainly would have felt that they would be very qualified for it. My understanding is that they were either screened out or, for whatever reason, they weren’t interviewed, and of course, as the Minister says, the position is empty today.
This role is very vital to the health and certainly the well-being of these inmates who we want to be returned to the public with the best opportunities before them. Mental health and cultural health are all critical, important parts. We have invested approximately $200,000 into this area to ensure we can provide these opportunities.
Can the Minister explain to me: Have any of these opportunities for people getting this type of health and wellness been restricted by the lack of services that this government has been unable to provide people since June 3rd? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Member makes it sound like we are not offering any services at North Slave Correctional Centre when it comes to spiritual and cultural health. We have elders that come to the facility that do sharing circles with the inmates, and we do that. We just don’t have, on staff, a permanent position. The coordinator position has been vacant, as I mentioned, since June, but that’s not to say that the centre isn’t still providing those types of opportunities for inmates that are at North Slave Correctional Centre. Thank you.
Trust is a very difficult thing to build. It takes experience and it certainly takes a relationship. I am glad we have some elders coming in, but it’s not a permanent solution.
What efforts are being made to permanently fill this position, because it is critical for the well-being and rehabilitation of inmates who need this vital service. Thank you.
The department and the North Slave Correctional Centre are making every effort to fill this position. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary. Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, I’d hate to waste a question by asking, what does that mean?
Is the Minister running a competition right now? Is he looking for someone? Not personally, obviously. What are they doing in the context of finding someone on a permanent basis? If he wants, I can give him names of qualified individuals who could certainly fill this role. But it’s not my job to be a human resource officer; I’m an MLA.
So, the bottom line is, I want to know exactly what actions have been done to fill this position permanently. Thank you.
I’d be more than happy to go back to the department to get the Member an updated list of things we’ve done, what we’re doing to fill that position and when another competition to fill it permanently will take place. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Weledeh. Mr. Bromley.
