Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in going over the Minister's opening comments, I am happy to see that we are looking at the situation with inmates and the pressures within the system. I, for some time now since being elected to this Assembly, have brought up the concerns of overcrowding. Although it is not a thing to be proud of, I know the Inuvik region has a high number of inmates in the YCC population. I must also applaud the department for looking to alternatives and using outpost camps more often. The situation still remains that we have overcrowding and that does not seem to be letting up at all. I look at facilities, for example in Inuvik Turning Point, which have changed its focus from a drug and alcohol facility to an early release program. Hopefully, that will work and slowly integrate the inmates back into the community instead of coming off of a plan where they have been in a situation for either months or just less than two years and going into the community and not have any program available. This is a good process. As well, we heard from Mr. Picco, who talked about facilities, where I know at one time, there was a study done by the Department of Justice on facilities. It was back when the federal government was looking at establishing other facilities, and they seemed to have taken care of their problem by building in the south. There is an area where we need to focus on.

Although we are doing more and more work that is proactive, as I said, we still have a large number of our population that is going into the system and does not seem to be letting up. I would encourage the Minister to look at that and to continue to look at how we can try and reduce the stresses in the system. We also need to look at existing facilities and commitment to rehabilitate those and unfortunately, the way the system is set up now with overcrowding, as we have heard on many occasions, the program function for rehabilitation is not being utilized to the extent it should be. Earlier in our Assembly, we heard Members talk about this and past Ministers who were responsible for the department mentioned that we stack them like cord wood in the facilities. Although this is not a good term to use, it is the comparison you can draw from. We have a lot of inmates who go into the system and when they complete their time in there, they come out and they have not had the opportunity to receive the necessary treatment or programs to totally function in the community. Although, we are looking at the avenues of alternative programs, we must also look at facilities and their role in how we deal with those people who have become involved in the court system and end up spending time in such facilities. I would encourage the department to continue to look what can be done and what is available.

We are in tight financial times and hopefully, as things move ahead, we will be able to try to identify areas where we can focus on doing something where we can, and truly, help those who are looking for help once they become entangled in the situation. We do not continue to have that so called merry-go-round where they are in the system, out of the system and back in the system. I, for one, know many people from my area who have been involved in what it is just a continual cycle. This goes back to the programming and time they can spend when they are in a facility and to get the help that is necessary to make them productive members of our society. We have a lot of work to do ahead of us, but we have also come a long way in the community camps or the outpost camps. I know in Inuvik region, we have a number of those who seem to be working well. Hopefully the facility in Inuvik, as I referred to earlier, Turning Point, can play a part in helping to keep the inmates who are leaving the system to remain out of the system, and therefore, hopefully reducing the load of inmates in the facilities. With that, Mr. Chairman, I will end my comments. Thank you.