Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, committee members, I'm pleased to be here this afternoon to answer any questions you may have about the impact of Bill C-25 on the operations of the Correctional Service of Canada.
I'd like to provide you with some background about my history working within the criminal justice system. I was appointed commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada in June of last year. Prior to that, I had held the position of senior deputy commissioner since 2002.
I also have several years' experience working for the provincial and territorial correctional systems, first in the Yukon and then as the assistant deputy minister responsible for probation and correctional services for the Department of Corrections and Public Safety in Saskatchewan. My work as the assistant deputy minister in Saskatchewan provides me with an understanding of the pressures related to the remand issue from a provincial, territorial, and federal perspective.
I'm also aware that the remand issue has been the subject of discussion at many of the federal-provincial-territorial heads of corrections meetings of which, as the commissioner of the Correctional Service, I am co-chair.
With respect to the impact of Bill C-25 on the Correctional Service of Canada, it is important to note that while additional offenders would now receive a federal sentence and come to CSC, the majority of offenders impacted would be those who would have already received a federal sentence; however, they would now receive a longer sentence and therefore stay longer within our system.
CSC will face accommodation challenges as a result of this legislation. The additional influx of offenders from this legislative amendment will require the Correctional Service of Canada, in the short term, to implement temporary accommodation measures such as the use of double-bunking and additional temporary structures to house offenders.
In the long term, CSC will have to look to construct more permanent accommodation, including the construction of new units or institutions to manage the population growth across the country.
Notwithstanding the impact of this bill, the Correctional Service of Canada is committed to continuing to fulfill its mandate to manage the sentences of federal offenders and to ensure public safety results for all Canadians.
I'm happy to answer any specific questions you may have about the impact or how the Correctional Service of Canada will respond to this bill.