A needle exchange program in Canadian prisons is a danger to correctional officers, and condones drug use within prison systems, according to a member of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.

"What they're saying is that you can do drugs, we'll give you the apparatus to do it with," John Lambiris said, talking about the expansion of a needle exchange program throughout Canadian prisons. Safe injection sites can often be found in public settings, but a prison is not the same, he said.

"The culture in prison systems is like no other."

He and other officers protested outside of Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale's Regina office on Friday, asking for the program to be suspended.

John Lambiris, who is with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says correctional officers were not consulted about the move to introduce a needle exchange program. (CBC News)

The needle exchange program was introduced in May of 2018, and was piloted in two institutions — in New Brunswick and Ontario — before being introduced country-wide.

Lambiris said correctional workers were not consulted about the program, and are concerned about their safety.

"Every day in our job, we come across different types of contraband weapons," said Lambiris.

"Now we're adding a needle exchange program. It's just another weapon that they possibly could use toward us or other offenders."

The union has brought its concerns to the federal government and its ministers, and has not had any satisfactory response, Lambiris said (CBC News)

The union has brought its concerns to the federal government and its ministers, and has not had any satisfactory response, he said.

In response to the protest, the federal government stated it was committed to protecting the health and safety of all Canadians, including federal inmates, through harm reduction.

In a statement, it noted that Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS are far more prevalent among inmates than the public, and that a needle exchange program would combat transmission of infectious diseases.

"While [Correctional Services of Canada] has measures in place to prevent drugs from entering its facilities, it recognizes that drugs on occasion will make it through," the statement reads, adding the government has to recognize this reality and safeguard those under its care.