In regard to this government and the situation we find ourselves in, I think we have to start looking more in line with NGOs and non-government organization institutions that have the infrastructure and the ability to work with clients. I think one area this government could probably save a lot of money in is with travel, transportation, court costs and whatnot, and sending inmates to institutions. We all know the estimated cost to house someone in a correctional facility is up to $85,000 a year.

As a government we have to look at how best to serve inmates, for one thing. The other thing is to integrate them back into our communities with some sort of a program that they have to take. We have to ensure that once they get through the justice system, there is some way of dealing with the core reason that these individuals seem to be in this cycle of continuously going through the justice system.

Regardless of what the issues are — alcohol, drugs or crime in general — these areas are bothering them, and I hate to blame anyone for any particular problem. A lot of this stuff originates from residential schools and values that originate in the home. I think you can go back to a lot of these individuals and you can track their family tree and realize that this is not unique just to them.

I’d like to ask the Minister: is the department looking at trying to integrate justice programs out of large centres, where we’re worried about overcrowding and costs associated with running these larger facilities, and re-profiling some of those costs to programs such as the Tl’oondih Healing Society, and working with non-government organizations to provide the services we aren’t able to develop in-house and use the services of other organizations?