Thank you. I am pleased to present the Capital Budget of the Department of Justice. The following points are ones that I believe will be of particular interest to Members in reviewing the department's Capital Budget.

The corrections services division operates seven facilities offering services to adult and young offenders across the whole of the territories. To replace the facilities as they now exist, would require approximately $75 million, as a point of interest. The capital expenditures which are proposed and introduced today are required in order to maintain correctional facilities at the current inmate or young offender capacity. No requests for expansion are being considered. The department has completed a master development plan that considers the adequacy of the present facilities and which projects the needs of Northwest Territories into the future. Evaluation of this study is beginning, but none of these recommendations are the subject of these proposals for the fiscal year 1993-94. Today I am requesting consideration of renovations or additions to our present existing facilities in order to make them safer. I anticipate that expenditures will allow for better programming to occur for more inmates with less risk to public. The outer wall of the Yellowknife Correctional Centre gymnasium must be replaced for the sake of health and safety. The bricks are cracking and the wall has become and will become unsafe if it is not repaired. The Yellowknife Correctional Centre's fence does not cover the entire property. It is also in need of extensive repairs. Concerns have been expressed about public security. The internal security of the centre is also compromised when members of the public can approach the facility and leave illegal or dangerous items on the property. To meet the maximum security rating of the centre and other security needs, institutional types of security fencing must be constructed around the entire property. In light of these remarks, I invited Members of the committee to examine in detail the 1992-93 budget of the Department of Justice and would be pleased to try and answer any questions.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. During the review of the 1992-93 Main Estimates, the committee recommended that the department initiate land skill survival programs at all corrections centres. As a result, we expected to see some requirement for related capital equipment, but did not. The committee will expect the Department of Justice to include funding in the 1994-95 Capital Estimates for culturally relevant corrections programs such as wilderness camps and land skills survival programs as recommended earlier this year.

Mr. Chairman, the committee is aware that the federal government is interested in constructing a $30 million federal penitentiary in the Northwest Territories to accommodate 65 to 100 federal inmates from the territories. Directly and indirectly, this could create over 100 jobs in the N.W.T. Options which were presented include federal or territorial operation and control. Members recognized both merits and potential pitfalls for a program such as this based on experience with other program transfers. However, the committee feels the opportunity should be pursued.

Mr. Chairman, that completes the official response of the Standing Committee on Finance on the Department of Justice's Capital Estimates for 1993-94. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, the type of fencing which runs along the road surrounding the correctional institute is a metal chain-link fence with barbed wire on top, this is what we require to complete the fencing around the facility.

Mr. Chairman, the Member should know that the far side of the facility has never been fenced. There is a requirement to secure the public from inmates wandering off when they are not supposed to but also to keep unwanted and unauthorized visitors from coming onto the property. I think this is one of the bigger considerations. I do not know if it has ever been substantiated but I know there is a fear that people are coming in and dropping off things like drugs and other substances for inmates on the property. We need to secure the facility to make sure these type of things do not happen. Those are some of the considerations for wanting to fence the remainder of the facility.

Mr. Speaker, you can tell by our modest request we just want to build the remainder of the fence and fix up a wall, and update some T.V. monitoring equipment which is quite old.