Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Dolynny on March 4, 2015, regarding the Auditor General Report on Corrections in the NWT – Department of Justice.
This government is committed to supporting an environment of continuous improvement in the corrections service and throughout the GNWT. The annual performance audits conducted by the office of the Auditor General support this commitment and provide us with an opportunity to receive valuable feedback on our programs and services.
The office of the Auditor General conducts independent audits and studies that provide objective information, advice and assurance to the federal and territorial governments. There was no mention by this independent and respected office in the report or in any of the numerous meetings held between the staff of the office and departmental officials of any wrongdoing by the Department of Justice or its staff.
I’ve accepted all of the recommendations in the Auditor General’s report on corrections in the NWT. Indeed, as the Premier stated in the Assembly last week, several changes have already been implemented or are underway, and if an audit were conducted today, the findings would be quite different. I’m confident that the steps taken by the Department of Justice, and it’s planning that is underway, will address the concerns highlighted in the Auditor General’s report.
Respectfully, any suggestion that we should investigate laying charges against the very people in the corrections service that we know are doing the hard work to make the improvements required is both unnecessary and demoralizing. If the Member has specific questions or concerns about the audit report, I’m sure that these can be addressed either by me or by the department staff during the hearings of the Standing Committee on Government Operations that will be coming up in May. Thank you.
