Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I could not let this opportunity pass without talking about my pet project, the revival of the young offender's wilderness camp at Mingotuq. The Minister may be tired of having me hound him about this matter, but I would like to explain to the committee that I am very pleased that this project has very strong support from elders in Iqaluit, from the Maliganik Tukisiiniakvik Society board, from Upassuraakut alcohol and drug project who would like the camp made available to young people with solvent, alcohol and drug abuse problems. I was very pleased the other day to receive a copy of a letter from the Arctic Bay alcohol and drug committee talking about the merits of re-opening the outpost camp out of Iqaluit. I do want to express my gratitude to the Minister for having taken the trouble to meet Inookie and Lucassie, the elders who will run this project and also for having sent some of his officials to Iqaluit earlier this year to meet with them and discuss a proposal that they have now submitted. I want to explain that I do understand that it may be difficult to identify funds in the times of fiscal restraint that we are operating under, and therefore, I have been encouraging the proponents to make their proposal as modest as possible, to have as much flexibility as they can about how they would run the program, including the possibility of offering the services of the camp on a per diem basis so that as money might become available, the camp could be called on in a fairly flexible manner. I do believe it will enhance the programs at the in-town institutions where young offenders are unable to get out on the land. I do know that Isumaqsunngittukkuvik young offenders closed custody facility has some ski-doos and has made some effort to get the young people out on the land. Unfortunately, they do not have the trained staff, nor do they have the necessary equipment and facilities to offer a very meaningful program. I am hopeful that the Mingotuq project will fill a need in cooperation with the institutional programs available in town and that money can be found to complement the existing in-town programs.

I would like to ask the Minister, I know he has only had a short time to review the proposal which was submitted, I believe within the past week, what can I tell my constituents about the possibility of getting some program going, revived, on the land for young offenders who are presently stuck in town in Iqaluit? These are young people from all over the Baffin region, not just Iqaluit. Can I give them some encouragement that where there is a will, there may be a way to squeeze out some funds so this program could be revived? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate that generally positive response from the Minister. I know that a full-blown operation for a year could amount to those sizeable sums. I would also like to note that in the response to the request of the Minister for more detail and more flexibility, the group has also made an offer to provide a much more modest service beginning this fall based on a per diem rate following the commitment of the government to certain basic start-up costs which would amount to about $60,000. It certainly need not cost as much in the first year as looking after six young offenders full-time for a full year. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister, just so we can put this request in context, would it be fair to say that the budget for the institution in town, which I understand has some 21 full-time staff and also additional part-time staff of another six or so, which I understand looks after six to eight young offenders on average, would be in the vicinity of $2 million per year? Is that figure within the range of the actual costs if you include the maintenance costs? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am certainly in agreement with the Minister that this should not be a question of competing with the institutions. I am hopeful that the outpost camp program can be incorporated into the program of the institution and can be used to enrich the program of the institution. I have to say that these young folk come mostly from families who have either lived on the land or are living in rather humble circumstances. I sometimes think we are not helping them to adjust to normal life when we look after them so well in the institutional setting.

I know I had quiche there one day when I went for lunch. It was excellent quiche. There was a full-time cook available at the institution who presented phenomenal meals including lettuce, tomatoes, salads, et cetera. However, these young people have to eventually re-adjust to life in the real world. They need to learn how to hunt for themselves, they need to learn to make bannock and to eat country food. I think there is a balance to be struck. I am hoping that if we can incorporate an outpost camp component to the institution, then perhaps some of the resources can be re-allocated to the outpost camp without eroding the institutional program, in fact, with the net effective of enriching the institutional program.

Mr. Chairman, I certainly do not want to monopolize the discussion this afternoon. I am satisfied that the Minister and his staff are looking at this program seriously. I understand the constraints they are operating under. I would like to mentioned that Judge Brown of the territorial court has reviewed the proposal and has indicated her support for the concept. We have one judge who will be sentencing young offenders from the region, and who feels it would be an additional resource and a useful additional sentencing option for her in certain circumstances.

I would like to thank the Minister for his commitment to work through on this. I would like to indicate once again it is a priority for my constituents and for myself. I will look forward to some progress in the coming year. Hopefully we can get something up and running once again some time this fall. Qujannamiik.

Thank you. Corrections, total O and M, $19.727 million. Mr. Koe.

Thank you. I have a couple of comments. I made a statement supporting the initiatives of the community corrections and community justice committee work, some of which are happening in my region. I wanted to hear from the Minister with regard to what he feels are some of the other initiatives and what is going to happen with the initiatives they are planning if the federal government is considering cuts in the aboriginal justice programs. Have you received any notice of cuts to that program? If so, what strategies are you going to use to continue the initiatives?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Mr. Koe.

What initiatives is your department taking to help facilitate the development of some of these types of programs in the various regions?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Mr. Koe.

Thank you and thanks to the Minister for that response. Previously, one of the Members made reference to Tabled Document 19-12(3), the 1992 master plan for corrections. I find the document very interesting, but I just wanted to get an idea from the Minister as to why types of -- I know in his statement they are doing an analysis of it and you are planning something for next October, but are you getting any feedback or any information from communities or people in this strategy?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Mr. Koe.

There has been some discussion with the federal penitentiary system about repatriating inmates who are sentenced to federal institutions. I know we host some of these people in the north, but the majority of them go to federal penitentiaries across Canada. Where are we, in terms of negotiating an agreement, holding these types of inmates?