Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last two decades, the safety of staff at the North Slave Correctional Centre has been repeatedly raised as a concern by Members of this House, and here we find ourselves again.

In November 2004, Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee stated that morale, sick leave, abuse, forced overtime, problematic hiring practices, lack of support, inmate-staff confrontation and assaults, and micromanaging plagued North Slave Correctional Centre. Then, in February 2006, Justice Minister Brendan Bell proposed new funding of $1.4 million to support correctional officer training and staffing in the 2006-2007 Main Estimates.

In March 2013, Justice Minister Glen Abernethy stated that both frontline and management staff need to have appropriate training so that they have the tools, resources, and supports to fulfill their duties while maintaining the safety and well-being of their clients, colleagues, themselves, and the public. The Minister went on to say that corrections staff participated in one-on-one independent surveys to answer questions about their training and working environment.

In June 2015, Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny read in a committee report responding to the OAG's report on corrections saying, "The committee is encouraged that the Minister accepted the Auditor General's recommendations and has developed an action plan to implement them." This report included recommendations to improve management policies and procedures.

In October 2017, Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart also raised alarms, identifying officer training, equipment, and staff budgets had been cut; that officers were being forced to work exhausting shifts without relief; and that staff morale was low.

Mr. Speaker, in December 2020, CBC reported about an NWT corrections facility workplace assessment, which we heard about from the Minister today, that was commissioned by the Department of Justice. The CBC article quotes a frontline corrections staff as saying, "There is a good chance someone is going to get hurt," and attributes this to poor staffing, employee turnover, training, and morale.

For decades, these themes have been repeated. Staffing concerns have been raised, much-needed funding provided, audits completed, employee engagement offered, and action plans written, but with high staff turnover, continued funding and long-term change is needed. The lip service to the public and staff has remained on point, giving corrections staff hope, but hope without real change just erodes trust even deeper, leaving morale even lower than when you started.

Mr. Speaker, I don't want my comments to be a footnote in a future Member's statement. Today, I want assurances that the Minister of Justice is taking action now to resolve the persistent staffing and morale issues that continue to plague the North Slave Correctional Centre. Thank you.