Good morning, everyone. Welcome here.
This is meeting number 5 of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.
Today we are going to continue our study on drugs and alcohol in prisons. More specifically, we are studying how drugs and alcohol enter prisons, the impact it has on offenders and on the rehabilitation of offenders, and also the impact it has on the safety of correctional officers and on crime within our institutions.
I remind each one that the topic of prisons is a vast topic. We're specifically speaking on drugs and alcohol in our prisons.
In our first hour this morning we have, from the John Howard Society of Canada, Ms. Catherine Latimer, executive director. Welcome. From the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, we have appearing before us Ms. Kim Pate, executive director. We welcome both of you.
On behalf of of the committee, it's good to have you here, and we look forward to the information you can provide to us. You have approximately 10 minutes for opening statements, and then we'll move into the first and second rounds of questions.
Ms. Latimer, would you like to begin, please?