The following six measures would be enormously helpful to many of the individuals represented by USG.
Externally commission a study by Public Safety Canada to assess the degree and extent of occupational stress injuries by non-officers and non-guards who are directly engaged in keeping Canada safe.
Reduce the workload of parole officers who are overseeing too many offenders within and outside a federal correctional facility.
Restore the community corrections liaison officer program within Correctional Service Canada. These liaison officers were part of an innovative, integrated police and parole initiative across the country that provided key information on activities of offenders in the community, and crucial backup when an offender had to be apprehended back into custody.
Federal employees need better access to qualified psychologists who deal with this sort of trauma, and there must be more training for managers and supervisors to support those dealing with an operational stress injury.
The option of early retirement should be extended to non-officer members of the RCMP and other employees in the federal department, who work in high-stress policing and correctional environments.
Lastly, the recommendations from the CSC advisory committee on community staff safety, which regularly assesses the working conditions of correctional staff in the community, should be reviewed annually by the minister's office.
Thank you very much for this opportunity.