Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, inmates at the North Slave Correctional Complex are calling out for help. They have put their concerns on paper and distributed them to the media and Members of the Assembly, as well as to the Minister of Justice.
The inmates' complaints include the cancelling of recreational programs; the withdrawal of academic upgrading programs; the absence of cultural programs; and no access to the outdoor yard for over a year. Inmates say they're not being rehabilitated, they are being warehoused. I appreciate that the Minister recognized the unprecedented nature of this problem and addressed the Assembly yesterday. However, Mr. Speaker, the Minister's statement, when reviewed alongside the reports in the, in fact leaves more questions than answers.
The Minister says that there is a "well-established process" for inmates to air concerns and grievances. Yet the inmates choose not to use the inmate advisory committee. Mr. Speaker, if it is a well-established process, inmates would not go around it. The Minister says, "We have not reduced programs available at the NSCC," but the deputy minister confirms that the GED high school equivalency program is no longer available, and he is not sure why. The recreation officer position has been eliminated and responsibilities redistributed among existing staff, and the outside yard, as I indicated, has been closed for 14 months.
So inmates write, "We have no programs, no recreation officer. All we do is sit in the pod and do nothing." Another says, "I want to learn my tradition and practice my tradition, but do not have access to drumming or smudging." Problems with the correctional system are not new, Mr. Speaker. The Auditor General identified exactly these problems in 2015. While the Minister claims most of these problems have been addressed, the letter campaign would seem to question that.
Mr. Speaker, our correctional centres are not supposed to be warehouses. Yes, we need facilities where offenders can pay their debt to society, but we also need to offer them a chance to learn from their mistakes, to receive guidance and support, to develop skills to deal with personal issues and traumas, and to emerge as more capable, better-adjusted members of society. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted