Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department received a rebasing of some $900,000 for an anticipated shortfall in the 1997-98 fiscal year. An additional $1.6 million has been approved for supplementary appropriation for 1997-98. That is for staffing deficiencies so there will be additional guards and classification officers hired. We are in the process of hiring them now for the Baffin Correctional, South Mackenzie and YCC. The previous Minister of Justice, the Honourable Kelvin Ng commissioned a study and a report by an expert. The first part of that report indicated the staffing was most necessary, if nothing else, a safety factor. The second part of
that report will be forthcoming in March. It is anticipated it will identify further deficiencies in corrections, some of which have been spoken of by Members here today. Minister Arlooktoo, together with some Cabinet colleagues, will look at that report and decide what action to take in response to it. It may possibly result in looking for further appropriation.
As for legal aid, it has been cut quite severely in the last two years. It is having a great deal of difficulty living with the budget it has, and we anticipate that the chairperson of the legal services board will be requesting additions to that budget, but it has not been quantified as yet.