Mr. Chair and honourable members, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you.
The Church Council on Justice and Corrections is a national faith-based coalition of 11 founding churches, incorporated in 1972. We promote community responsibility for justice, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of victims and offenders, mutual respect, healing, individual accountability, and crime prevention.
In December 2010, the CCJC sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Canada expressing concern about the federal laws that are resulting in the building of new prisons. Bill C-59 is one of the bills about which we have concerns.
Ms. Lorraine Berzins, CCJC's community chair of justice, will speak to our concerns.