Mr. Chair, it is difficult to offer therapy to an inmate without knowing that they have a problem. Testing is beneficial because it helps identify inmates with substance abuse issues.
Correctional Service Canada has established a public health program focused on epidemiology and supervision, testing, prevention and control, care, treatment, support and health education. Nearly 95% of inmates who need therapy have access to it.
I would like to make something clear this morning. We have to provide therapies and take steps to eliminate drugs from our prisons, but that's no reason to throw taxpayers' money out the window.
I am very proud of the efforts made by Correctional Service Canada to reduce spending. For example, we have centralized meal distribution. The money saved can be reinvested in treatments for inmates with substance abuse problems, testing or the use of drug-detecting dogs to prevent drugs from coming into our prisons.
We are responsible for managing taxpayers' money, and that is what we are doing. One way to reduce crime and the risk of recidivism is to deal with substance abuse problems in our prisons. This is a wise investment, and we will continue with this approach.