Thank you for your question.
I have the opportunity to appear fairly regularly before the committee, and I hope to come back again soon to discuss new legislation we are putting in place and to seek your support in the fight against terrorism.
To come back to your questions about correctional services, we are honoured to have the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada with us, and I will ask him to answer your questions.
Previously, I would have simply said that we are not seeing what we had predicted. I would even use the word “apocalyptic” because we had predicted that our penal institutions were going to be full. That has not happened. We are even implementing a plan for additional cells.
I will let the commissioner provide the numbers because, obviously, they are constantly changing. As far as I know, they are not as high as you mentioned. In recent months, we have seen a decrease in the prison population.
In terms of double-bunking, I would like to point out that it is a common and widespread practice in western systems. I have even visited detention centres that had dormitories. There are all kinds of accommodation—if I can say that—for inmates. We think this is a common practice.
Moreover, I would like to commend the correctional services officers for the important work they do.
On that note, I would ask the commissioner to provide an update.