Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Special Accommodations
Persons with Disabilities
Various experts submitted that the bill did not adequately provide and protect offenders with specific mental health needs or disabilities. Committee agreed that the bill should go further to address some of the challenges faced by inmates. Motions 9, 14, 16, 20 and 24 in Appendix A, developed in collaboration with the Minister, each contain provisions that provide for additional services or the reasonable accommodation of inmates with specific needs, such as those with illnesses, injuries, disabilities or for whom the English language or literacy is a challenge.
Female Inmates
Bill 45 contained little in the way of acknowledgment of the unique circumstances of female inmates, including that women are more susceptible to abuse and sexual misconduct by corrections staff and other inmates, have reproductive healthcare needs, and may have children for whom they are the primary caregiver. Committee felt new corrections legislation should reflect international standards in this area, namely the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2010, as well as the recent Calls for Justice arising from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry. In collaboration with the Minister, we developed Motions 15, 17, 21, 22 and 23 in Appendix A to provide additional standards addressing the specific characteristics, needs and susceptibility of female inmates in relation to physical restraints, healthcare, strip searches, and where they may be housed.
Reporting
Pursuant to Motion 31, committee is pleased with the addition of an annual report provision developed in collaboration with the Minister and set out in Appendix A. The motion requires the Minister to table a report each year outlining important details relating to the administration of the Act, such as the number of inmates held in disciplinary segregation and the number of inmate complaints.
Clause-by-Clause Review of Bill
The clause-by-clause review of Bill 45 was held on August 15, 2019. At this review, committee moved a total of 32 motions, attached in Appendix A. Committee thanks the Minister for his concurrence with the motions to amend Bill 45 that were moved during the clause-by-clause review.
Following the clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report Bill 45, as amended and reprinted, as ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Conclusion
Committee wishes to thank every individual and organization who participated in the review process for Bill 45. Committee also again wishes to acknowledge the collaborative efforts of the department and committee officials in the development of Bill 45.
Rule 100(5) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories requires Cabinet, in response to a motion by committee, to table a comprehensive response that addresses the committee report and any related motions adopted by the House. As required by this rule, committee usually includes a recommendation in each report, which is moved as a motion in the House, requesting a response from government within 120 days. Given that the 18th Legislative Assembly will dissolve prior to the conclusion of the 120-day time period allowed by the rules, committee has opted to forego this recommendation. Committee nonetheless requests, to the extent it is possible before the dissolution of the 18th Assembly and for the public record, that government provide a response to the recommendations contained in this report, even of a preliminary nature, that Committee may publicly disclose.
This concludes committee's report on Bill 45: Corrections Act. Committee reports are available on the Legislative Assembly website at www.assembly.gov.nt.ca. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.