Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2015 the Auditor General of Canada released a report on corrections in the NWT. It stated that both the North Slave Correctional Complex and the Ford Smith Correctional Centre suffer from serious deficiencies in case management, which limits efforts to rehabilitate inmates and prepare them for release back to the community. This was again highlighted by a recent letter writing campaign. About half of the men in custody at NSCC wrote to their MLAs and described the lack of programs and activities available to them which would assist them to steer their lives in a better direction.
Some people might say that, "Well, if you are convicted of a crime, you deal with the consequences, end of story." I would respond to that by first noting that most inmates at NSCC haven't been convicted. They are actually awaiting trial in remand. Second, sitting around for days, weeks, or months on end doesn't address the factors that caused the person to wind up in jail, and that is precisely what we need to do. We need to help inmates get their lives on track and ensure they don't return to jail.
It costs over $100,000 to house an inmate for one year in the NWT. Imagine if the government developed, funded, and delivered programs that helped even a handful of residents from reoffending each year; and better yet, what if those programs helped people gain skills that allow them to gain meaningful employment? That is an investment in our people that would pay significant financial and social dividends. I think we all know, Mr. Speaker, that the primary reason we have so many residents in jail is because of the high rate of substance abuse in the Northwest Territories and its underlying factors. That is why I was encouraged by the recent visit to the Guthrie House in Nanaimo by the Minister of Justice and his departmental staff. Guthrie House is a therapeutic community located on the grounds of the Nanaimo Correctional Centre.
The therapeutic community model considers substance abuse as a symptom of much broader problems in a residential setting and uses holistic treatment approaches that have an impact on every aspect of a resident's life. The main goal is to change established patterns of negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that lead to substance abuse and criminal behaviours. Mr. Speaker, this type of program, adapted to our unique situation, is exactly what we need in the Northwest Territories. I will have questions for the Minister of Justice about what he learned during his visit to Guthrie House and suggestions about where we could locate this type of facility in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.