Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could the Minister also indicate if there are any conditions on the choice of camp? Are inmates or young offenders allowed to choose whichever camp they want in the Northwest Territories? Or is it by region, which is what I understand the intent to be when you put camps in the regions so they can stay close to where they are from. Could the Minister elaborate on that please? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Mr. Cooper.

Thank you, Mr. Cooper. The Chair recognizes the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I asked a question yesterday to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. It was about the psychiatric services provided. One thing I found alarming is that there is an inmate from Aklavik in the institution out at the Yellowknife Correctional Institute.

He is having some problems with depression. I was told there seemed to be a lack of funds to deal with that type of situation, where people are institutionalized and there are no resources in place to assist them in dealing with depression and personal problems they may have.

We do not have any real facilities in the North to deal with these types of people. I do believe there is a psychiatric ward in the hospital there, but there are also institutions in southern Canada.

Due to budget cuts, there seems to be very few dollars to help these people out that are incarcerated. Could the Minister show me in the budget where there is money to assist in such an area? I cannot really figure it out. I see there is money there for different services, community justice, corrections, legal services, but I am wondering if there is money to assist inmates once they are incarcerated to deal with their psychological problems.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did not catch the department that he mentioned. Would the Minister rephrase which department the number...I did not catch the number either. Was it $590,000 or something like that?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I for one feel, I would say sorry but there are situations we find ourselves in and I do not think that we are really doing anything to change the flow of people in and out of the corrections facilities.

I think that by institutionalizing people, we have to place more emphasis on trying to prevent people from coming back instead of strictly putting them in corrections facilities and seeing the population increase when the demand on building new facilities is there.

We have to start concentrating on finding new means of dealing with people once they are incarcerated. We have to try to find a system to make them aware that what they are doing is not right, that there are better ways of living your life. We need to find preventative mechanisms so they do not continue to live a life of institutionalization.

I think that too much of that has happened in the North. Usually these people are, not marked, but they have this stigma put on them by the public that they are nothing but jailbirds, or whatever you want to call them. Something has to change to make these people aware that there is help out there.

One thing I see when I talk to a lot of people is there is no real mechanism for dealing with the problem once you are in jail let alone dealing with you when you get out of jail. It is that time that they have on their hands when they are stuck in a small community where people are unemployed and no real follow up to help them and make them aware that there are means of changing their lifestyles to make them better citizens.

Maybe the Minister can tell me what efforts are made between the Department of Health and Social Services and his department to work on this follow up of inmates, to try to help them to get on with better lives instead of finding themselves always stuck in the cycle of being in and out of institutions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it is very interesting. I just received a note from an individual who is in the Yellowknife Correctional Institute. He is complaining they are not being treated fairly. They are being locked up for some 23 hours a day with no reason given on exactly why they have been locked up.

I brought a similar concern to the Minister a couple of weeks ago on an individual who was having emotional problems. After I spoke with him on the phone, he mentioned to me that he is being accused of different things. Yet there are no legal parameters for the individuals to appeal their cases or have someone hear their case. It seems like it is up to the warden or people in the institution to basically go by the book. The concern they get is sorry, we do not have any money to do this.

I would like to ask the Minister what rights do individuals who find themselves incarcerated have to appeal their grievances?

It is interesting this has come by my desk as we are talking about the subject. I for one feel it does have a lot to do with the treatment these inmates are receiving at the present time, due to the program cuts that were put in place by this government.

I would like to ask the Minister what is the process that is in place for dealing with grievances? Also, what is the process for the public, such as MLAs or chiefs or what not, to have an opportunity to speak on behalf of those inmates?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Mr. Cooper.