Evidence of meeting #15 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was response.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Thank you.
To the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, Mr. Wilkins, 10 days ago you were quoted in the media as saying:
We don’t understand why management at Mission Institution are putting money before us. It is completely unacceptable that our members who were exposed to the coronavirus are being pressured to return to work prior to receiving their test results or finishing their 14 days isolation.
Is that pressure still going on and how widespread is it across the country?
National President, Union of Canadian Correctional Officers
What we're seeing right now in some of the institutions is that many correctional officers who have healed are coming back to the workplace. I suggested in testimony that I believe the practice of bringing people back to work before their 14 days has stopped.
When we looked at what has happened at Mission Institution, which has many different institutions in a very close proximity around that jail, and we looked at what has happened in Port-Cartier Institution, which is very secluded, we didn't see the same reaction from our employer.
Mission Institution should have brought volunteers in from other institutions to come and work for a certain period of time that might have included a quarantine at the end of it. We didn't see that, so unfortunately the pressure was on to try to save money, with “Let's call people back to work.”
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I see.
If I could move to a different aspect, you've also called on Correctional Service Canada to educate the inmate population on all recommendations made by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Has CSC complied with that request?
National President, Union of Canadian Correctional Officers
We're pretty well in lockdown for institutions that have cases of COVID, but in 40 other institutions across the country, we're not completely locked down. The inmates are still freely allowed to associate with one another in the courtyards for recreation purposes. We've managed to move most things to the unit level, with medication and food delivery to either the cell or the unit itself.
I'm in Nova Scotia. In my community, if I go and hang out with five or more people, I could be fined for that. Yet if you go to Springhill Institution, which is in my community, you will see there are 23, 24, 50 inmates hanging out in the inside yard. It's a bit different. That was the call of the CSC federally. We should respect that. Then again, we're dancing a fine line between unrest in the institution and the health and safety for all.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
That wraps up round three.
I'd like to thank all the witnesses. It's been a great panel. Thank you for all of your experience and your expertise.
I would remind the members of the subcommittee of our meeting tomorrow morning.
With that, the meeting is now adjourned. Thank you very much.