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Government must act on recommendations from Citizens' Representative June 14, 2007 Yvonne Jones, Opposition Status of Women Critic and MHA for the District of Cartwright-L’Anse au Clair, today asked questions in the House of Assembly related to the recommendations contained in the report of the Citizens’ Representative released yesterday. In his report, the Citizens’ Representative made five recommendations concerning the health and justice system for women in Labrador. Those recommendations would help strengthen and improve the conditions faced by women in Labrador, especially those who are aboriginal and experience language and cultural barriers. "I fully support the Citizens’ Representative’s recommendations, especially having a secure adult female custodial building for low risk women offenders in Happy Valley-Goose Bay," said Ms. Jones. "The Minister of Justice knows that the majority of these women offenders are aboriginal and face significant language barriers and cultural differences which have contributed to longer periods of stay in Clarenville. I was disappointed that Minister Osborne said today that he would evaluate the report, but would not compromise the viability of the island-based penitentiary in order to meet the desperate need of women in Labrador. This seemed to be nothing more than a deflection from the true issue. "I was also pleased that the Ombudsman asked the government to take immediate steps to deal with citizens who suffer from complex mental health needs. This is something we asked the government to address over a year ago, but have not yet witnessed any action. One room in the Labrador Health Centre is certainly inadequate and government must move immediately to increase the space and provide additional staff. More mental health patients than ever are being sent out of Labrador for inpatient services and this is not acceptable. "After listening to the answers provided by the health and justice ministers in the House of Assembly this afternoon, I am certainly not convinced of their commitment to address the recommendations in this report. I encourage government to put the necessary financial, infrastructure and human resources in place to address the issues raised by the Citizens’ Representative."
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