Thank you. and corrections. Mr. Erasmus.
Community justice
Debates of May 22nd, 1996
Topics
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
The Chair John Ningark
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Those are quite general and they don't really indicate where each of those things occur. I assume that all of these things happen at each of our correctional centres.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have information on the Yellowknife Correctional Centre, which has the most extensive programs, but I'd be willing to provide a list to the Members on what programs are available at what institution. Thank you.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Erasmus.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the Minister's statement yesterday, he indicated that our correctional facilities across the Territories are suffering from serious overcrowding. How serious is this overcrowding, centre by centre?
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
May 21st, 1996
Page 558
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Sorry, Mr. Chairman, I don't have the specifics right here. I can provide that information to the honourable Member, unless he wants to wait while I fumble through the briefing notes here. Thank you.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Ng. Would it be beneficial to take a break and let you find the information? Mr. Erasmus.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Perhaps the Minister's staff could find the numbers. In the meantime, how does the overcrowding affect programs that are available for rehabilitation?
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Generally, Mr. Chairman, it restricts the amount of programs that can be run at any given time because of the fact that program space is taken up by dormitory space because of the overcrowding. Thank you.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Is it safe to say then, if our correctional facilities are seriously overcrowded then this seriously affects our rehabilitation capabilities?
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, Mr. Chairman, because of the fact that you wouldn't be able to provide all the programming for all of the clientele who would desire it. You would have to stage it and coordinate those programming spaces. Thank you.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Does the Minister have available the effects of intermittent sentencing; people who serve their jail terms on weekends? Is that expensive to do?
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, no, we don't have those statistics here. Generally, as I indicated earlier, it is an expensive form of incarceration. Again, we have to provide that availability in small communities just like we do in the larger ones. Thank you.
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If the serious overcrowding in our facilities is seriously affecting our rehabilitation efforts, and if intermittent sentencing is expensive, why is the Minister refusing to try electronic monitoring to keep some people out of those correctional facilities?
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 558
The Chair Vince Steen
Mr. Erasmus, could you do away with the word "if." "If" is a hypothetical question; could you rephrase that without using the word 'if'?
I,-
Bill 11: Appropriation Act, 1996-97 Department Of Justice
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 559
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
It's not a hypothetical question, Mr. Chairman, because I am just going by what he told me.
Mr. Chairman, the Minister has indicated that serious overcrowding seriously affects rehabilitation. He has also said that intermittent sentences are expensive. In that case, then, I want to know why the Minister refuses to implement electronic monitoring to reduce the amount of people who are in our correctional facilities and perhaps to keep people away from doing intermittent sentences.