Public Accounts Committee on Feb. 15th, 2017

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Throughout your action plan, you suggest adding indicators to the offender management system, the OMS. If memory serves, this is a rather dated database. I believe there was a renewal in 2001 to 2006, but it is still a significantly dated system. Are there any concerns about using this system as a work mule, or adding too much to the system, so that you might have a challenge with the management of this system?

[Don Head]

There are two things that are happening. First, we're going to be able to make the adjustments that we've committed to in the existing system. Second, I've actually just commissioned the team to look at how we go to a whole new generation of OMS that uses a more modern platform.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Regarding the commissioner's directives that you've suggested you may be introducing into the action plan, have you issued any final commissioner's directives in light of this report yet, and if so, can they be shared with the committee?

[Don Head]

Yes, most definitely. There are a couple that have already been modified and promulgated and there are some others that are still in the works over the next couple of months. We can provide you with the ones that are already complete and the list of the ones that are proceeding and where they are in relation to our action plan.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

In 10 seconds or less, regarding the timelines identified in the action plan, is the Correctional Service on track to meet the timelines identified, and if not, which ones might be slipping?

[Don Head]

At this point in time, they're all on track. I have both my policy sector and my audit sector monitoring our commitments to make sure there is no slippage.

[The Vice-Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Arya, please, you have five minutes.

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Kelly, my question may be an unfair question, so if you don't answer it, that's fine.

The indigenous population is just 3%, yet they constitute 26% of the total offenders, and women account for close to 37%. Why is this?

[Anne Kelly]

One reason, as was said in the commissioner's opening remarks, is that we do not control the number of admissions—

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

I understand, but with your background dealing with indigenous offenders, you may have some insight about why this is so.

[Anne Kelly]

Again, the warrant of committal admissions is 24%, which is quite high, but we can't control the admissions. What we can control, though, is preparing the offenders for release.

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

All right. Thank you.

Let me go to my second question.

Mr. Head, you said that your organization cannot do this alone. You require assistance with the successful reintegration and you want to work with your partners. How is it going? How is your relationship with all the institutions that are involved in successful reintegration? What are the problems? What are the challenges? Where do you find the issues?

[Don Head]

That's a very good question.

One of the things we are focusing on—I've had several conversations with National Chief Perry Bellegarde from the Assembly of First Nations—is that once an aboriginal offender is released into the community, how do we help keep them out there?

The four key factors for success are employment, housing, the necessary health care that's required, and pro-social support from family and friends.

I've been talking to the national chief about some of the things he can do for us regarding opening the doors to talk to various regional first nations councils and various band councils specifically around the issue of employment. How can we create some employment opportunities, specifically for indigenous offenders?

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Thank you.

What are the problems or challenges you're finding with other partner organizations?

[Don Head]

Part of the challenge is that the services are not necessarily in the location where individuals want to be released to. For example, if individuals want to be released back into their home community, which may be back on the reserve, some of the supporting agencies and services are not there. For individuals who are looking to be released into an urban setting that they did not come from, the challenge is in getting them hooked up with the services that are there. In some cases, some of those services are already overtaxed.

[The Vice-Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Thank you very much.

Go ahead, Mr. Chen.

[Shaun Chen, Liberal, Scarborough North, ON]

Thank you.

I have to say that when I read this report, one word came to my mind, and it hasn't been said today, so I do have to say it. That word is “crisis”. This, to me, is a huge crisis.

In looking at the numbers, as has been pointed out, we see that indigenous men and women represent 3% of the adult population in our country, yet they represent 26% of offenders in federal custody. What's worse is that they're not given timely access to rehabilitation programs. There's uneven access, and beyond that, there's inconsistency across the regions.

I've heard about the types of programs you provide. My sense is that it's not that we don't know what to do; it's that we have to actually to do it. I heard you say, Mr. Head, that the work you do can affect the length of time someone is in custody. It can affect the security level of the institution. It can affect the time for case processing.

You made it very clear, as did your colleague Ms. Kelly just now, that Correctional Services cannot control the number of indigenous Canadians receiving federal sentences of incarceration. I find that type of statement very bothersome. I understand from a technical perspective how that might be true, but the mere fact that indigenous offenders tend to be youth and tend to be repeat offenders.... The work you do isn't just about reintegration into the community; it's also about rehabilitation. The things that they could go through in the programs and services that you ought to be providing and that are culturally relevant can have a very significant impact, and, yes, it can control the numbers of indigenous Canadians who are receiving federal sentences. That is my opinion.

You've stated that several times. I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

[The Vice-Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

You have five seconds.

[Don Head]

Very quickly, there's no question that there are some challenges there. Of the aboriginal offenders that come into the federal system, 74% are coming into the federal system for the first time. They've gone through the youth system and the provincial system four to six times. We're only getting them for the first time.

Sometimes the sentence that we get to work with is very short. If you look at the eligibility dates that exist, for that two- to three-year sentence we literally have to get them in, assessed, and programmed in the first four months, in order to get a report to the Parole Board by the fourth month so that it can make a decision for day parole eligibility by the sixth month on a three-year sentence.

[The Vice-Chair (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Thank you very much, Mr. Head.

Mr. Jeneroux, I'm sorry. I'll have to give you our last three minutes.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Thank you.

I would like you to quickly discuss the training that's currently provided for front-line correctional officers and what you think the impacts would be on the resource level of further increasing the training. This pertains to recommendation 3.106, which suggests further training for Correctional Service staff for “Aboriginal social history” factors.

In the department's response, it states that the CSC will build “on existing training initiatives” and “continue to integrate Aboriginal social history considerations into case management training and practices”.

If you wouldn't mind commenting on that, I'd like to hear your response.

[Don Head]

Specifically, the aboriginal social history training is for the parole officers and the program officers, not necessarily the front-line correctional officers. They're the ones who do the assessments and reports that go forward to the Parole Board.

We have an allotted number of days each year for what we call “parole officer continuous development training”. We're able to use the five days that are allotted each year to build in the short version of what we call ASH training, aboriginal social history training. We're able to build that in as part of the ongoing training.

In terms of new parole officers, we've also built it into the parole officer induction training. All new parole officers will be receiving that training.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Is this new since the Auditor General's report?

[Don Head]

It's new within the last year.

Ms. Kelly and her team have gone out in the last number of months to ensure that all our regional management committees and various staff groups understand aboriginal social history and how to use and incorporate it into recommendations and decision-making.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Essentially, then, your answer is that there would be no impact because you're already doing it.

Mr. Ferguson, are you satisfied with what they've done in terms of the training initiatives?