Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. The staffing of the remand unit in Hay River and the additional staff to watch them had everything to do with an internal report and a coroner's inquest into the suicidal death of an inmate in custody at SMCC. I don't believe that that report and the recommendations of the coroner were sufficiently considered when this cost-saving initiative was contrived by the former Minister.
I think it would be in the government's own interest to ensure that we have not inadvertently put ourselves in a situation where responsibility for, God forbid, another such incident could be directly blamed on these changes.
I would like to see the changes in remand in Hay River re-examined in view of a more rigorous analysis taking into account three things, Mr. Speaker: the recent number of inmates remanded in custody; the examination of the impacts on RCMP manpower, programs and budgets; and consultation with judges and justices of the peace south of the lake. I will be asking the Minister of Justice about this in question period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause