Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, too, would like to make general comments. I think the department has made great strides in the last few years toward allowing the communities to have more control over the justice system. That includes local JPs and also justice committees in the communities.
One of the things that the department has inherited through the amalgamation process was the correctional centres from Social Services. My colleague for Iqaluit mentioned today that there have been at least two examples in the Baffin region where a local business was able to take over looking after the young offenders at the open custody type situations. When it was in Social Services it was working very well, and it is still working very well, I believe, to this point. Since the department has taken it over, I understand they are trying to change the policy to suit the department's requirement for those companies that take in young offenders in open custody situations, to be more restrictive to those companies. I am told that the proposal that was put forward by the department is so restrictive that a company in my constituency, if that were to occur, would not be able to meet those conditions which are too strict for that company to comply with. I have raised this concern with the Minister, by letter, and he has told me that this was only a proposal, and that they are soliciting input from those companies and other people.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to know how far the department has gone in terms of developing that policy, whether there has been significant change since that proposal was put forward. Thank you.