Thank you very much, Mr. Garrison. That's a fairly detailed question that calls for a rather detailed response.
The correctional investigator did in fact issue a report that the people of Correctional Services are analyzing. They will consider his recommendations and issue directives in that regard. Please stay tuned for follow-up on the Correctional Services report.
You spoke about Canada's prison population, but I would like to point out that Canada's population has never been this high. There is a correlation between the population and the number of criminals. Canada's population is currently over 30 million, and our federal prisons currently house about 15,000 inmates. That's too many, but if someone has committed serious and violent crimes or is a threat to society, it is important to not release them too soon and to prevent them from committing other offences. Those people need to be behind bars.
Mr. Garrison, I live in the Lévis—Bellechasse riding. Someone from the municipality of Armagh, which is in that riding, was attacked by a repeat offender. The National Parole Board report stated that the individual was still a threat to society, yet he was released. I think Canadians are tired of having dangerous criminals on the streets endangering people's lives. That's what my predecessor, Vic Toews, was committed to and he was quite successful. I am very proud of the work he and his predecessors did. I am also very proud of the agenda that our government has put forward to make our streets safer.
With respect to correctional services, I've had the opportunity to visit minimum, medium and maximum-security detention centres. In all cases, I got an idea of all the measures implemented so that inmates, particularly aboriginals, had access to a rehabilitation program that took their profile into consideration.
It's obvious that the aboriginal inmate population has increased. That's why Correctional Services has made a considerable effort to deal with that segment of the population in our institutions. There are areas that take into account their aboriginal practices and beliefs. We also use specialized staff. A number of measures have been taken. As you know, Canada is a leader in rehabilitation, especially so that inmates can gain the aptitudes and skills so that once they are released, they have the competencies the labour market is looking for.
Your question is fairly broad. To come back to the last point you raised, I'd like to point out that fewer than 20% of inmates double-bunk in our prisons, which is very low. It's important to remember that being in prison isn't a luxury. The New Democrats are against abolishing old age security benefits for inmates, but there comes a time when we have to stop maintaining an unbalanced system. I hope that we can count on your support to find a balance between the victims and inmates when it comes to the measures we are going to put forward.