Mr. Speaker, the prevention and treatment of infections and diseases within correctional institutions not only protects the offender population, but also protects the correctional personnel and the Canadian public. It is harm reduction.
We conduct a thorough risk assessment before any inmate is approved to participate in the needle exchange program. Appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure that the needles are safely stored. It is important to recognize that since the introduction of this program in 2018, there have been no safety incidents involving either staff or inmates.