Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, everyone. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.
By way of background, I have been Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada since June 2008. From 2002 until that time, I was the Correctional Service of Canada's senior deputy commissioner. I actually began my career as a correctional officer in 1978.
I have also worked in the provincial and territorial correctional systems, first in the Yukon as the warden of the territorial jail and as the acting director of community and correctional services, and then in Saskatchewan as the assistant deputy minister responsible for probation and correctional services for the Department of Corrections and Public Safety. I believe my experience in the territorial, provincial, and federal correctional systems has provided me with a good understanding of issues surrounding aboriginal corrections.
The disproportionate representation of aboriginal peoples throughout the criminal justice system has been well documented. Currently aboriginal peoples account for about 4% of the adult Canadian population, but 17% of the federal offender population. The factors associated with this overrepresentation are multi-faceted and complex. They involve such challenges as community health and well-being, socio-economic inequities, and intergenerational trauma. The factors are not only multi-dimensional; they are, quite frankly, societal in nature.
CSC is at the receiving end of the criminal justice system, and as such has very limited capacity to resolve these multiple factors. What we can do is take action within our legislative responsibilities to address the needs of first nations, Métis, and Inuit offenders as set out in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.
The Corrections and Conditional Release Act is very specific about our responsibilities with respect to aboriginal offenders. It requires us to provide culturally appropriate policies, programs, and interventions that address factors associated with risk and needs of offenders as a foundation for their safe return to the community.