Good morning, everyone. We welcome you. This is meeting number four of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, on September 29, 2011.
Today we are commencing our study on drugs and alcohol in prisons. This is pursuant to our committee's adoption of the subcommittee report. Part of the motion was that we will study how drugs and alcohol enter the prisons and the impacts they have on the rehabilitation of offenders, the safety of correctional officials, and crime within institutions.
In our first hour we will hear from the Correctional Service of Canada. Returning again to provide testimony is Don Head, Commissioner of Correctional Service Canada.
First of all, on behalf of our committee members old and new, as chair I always thank you for being willing to appear before our committee and to sometimes appear with very little notice. That is indeed the case today, so we're very thankful for that.
Also, the commissioner is accompanied by Chris Price. He is the assistant commissioner of correctional operations and programs.
In our second hour we're going to hear from the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers on the same topic that we're looking at in the first hour.
I do welcome you here this morning. We look forward to your comments. We appreciate you being here.
Mr. Head.