Evidence of meeting #4 for Public Safety and National Security in the 43rd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was offenders.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Rob Morrison Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
I noticed in one of the reports that was given to us, I think from the commissioner, that you're having an independent review. I'm just curious as to whom the two external community board members work for.
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
They don't work for the Parole Board. As far as I know, they don't work for the Correctional Service of Canada. They both have been professors. I have their CVs.
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
I believe they're both professors of criminology at two different schools somewhere in Quebec.
Liberal
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
When I was reading the Correctional Service of Canada report, I saw that the recidivism rate in Germany specifically mentions sexual assault, whereas we often refer to violent crimes. I just want to clarify. When we refer to violent crimes, does that also include sexual assault?
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
I refer to the document that broke down the CSC's recidivism rates for the last 30 years. I want to compare 2008 to 2018. In 2008, the number of offenders on conditional release successfully reaching a warrant expiry date had a readmission rate of 48%. That's less than half. However, in 2017-18, that number had increased to 61%, which is quite tragic.
Can you speak to the work undertaken by CSC in recent years to reduce that rate?
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Recidivism. What work has been done to decrease it?
Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
It's a bit what I said earlier. In 2010, we introduced the integrated correctional program model. It was implemented across the country. We completed the implementation in 2017. We've actually seen really good results, and I have them here with me. This program definitely helps in reducing the risk that the offender presents.
If I look at indigenous offenders, we've created indigenous intervention centres in our institutions where they get access to programs earlier. We work with them. We have Pathways. There are a number of things that have been done to also increase the success rates for indigenous offenders.
For women offenders, we have the Circle of Care program. It's a continuum of care program. Over the years, a number of things have been done to reduce the risk of reoffending. We've also developed some actuarial tools. For example, the criminal risk index that determines an offender's level of risk and also the intensity of the program that the offender should participate in is a fairly new tool that was developed. That also helps parole officers.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Mr. Chair, I'm going to give the remainder of my time to Mr. Lightbound.
Liberal
Joël Lightbound Liberal Louis-Hébert, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you all for being here.
I will echo the sentiments that have been expressed by offering my condolences to the family. As my colleague from the Bloc Québécois mentioned, in memory of Marylène Levesque, we owe it to ourselves to get to the bottom of this tragedy. Clearly, as it happened, certain steps in the process must be evaluated, and we must ensure that where mistakes were made, they will not happen again.
Ms. Kelly, I was pleased to hear you mention in your remarks that you have called for a review of community procedures across the country. Like millions of Canadians, and Quebeckers in particular, I was shocked to learn that officers could include the possibility of using sexual services in an offender's reintegration plan.
I'd like to know where you are in this review. If this practice was being used in other places, are you sure it has been stopped completely?
Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
First, the review is ongoing. We have a lot of community strategies to review, but I have been extremely clear. As soon as I became aware of this tragedy, I contacted the regional deputy commissioners and asked them to do a review of all the community strategies.
I have also requested that parole officers and supervisors be met individually to discuss case management practices that need to be robust, as well as the importance of document quality control. We did some things immediately, as soon as I knew this tragedy had occurred.
Liberal
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My questions are for Ms. Oades.
The two board members had the power to act when they learned that Mr. Gallese, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, had been violating the Criminal Code for months by meeting with women.
Why didn't the board members suspend Mr. Gallese's day parole immediately?
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
I believe that the board of investigation will probably look into that. In the end, it is an independent decision. They took all the information they had before them and the decision was made.
I'm not here to justify it; I am not here to condemn it. Each board member's decision is a decision in and of itself. I believe that, with all the training they have and all of the information they took, they thought that offender could be managed successfully in the community with the various conditions they had put onto his release.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Thank you.
Although the board had the authority to do so, it did not request a new risk assessment. That was its decision, and you are satisfied with it.
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
No, I am saying that I am going to wait for the board of investigation to report back to us and then see if there were things that could have been done that should have been done and how we can improve in the future.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
On the TVA show J.E., Ariane Garneau, a friend of Marylène's, said this: “I'm angry at that person specifically, but I'm even angrier at the people who made the decision to do it.”
Do you realize that victims of crime will no longer have confidence in the organization you're running?
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
I'm going to say that he was released in March. He had been released in March, earlier. This was a second.... By law, we must review those released on day parole every six months. He had been released, actually, in March. This was a second release.
I would say to anyone who is disappointed that I think we're all disappointed. We're all shocked. We're all quite, I would say, devastated by what has happened.
I know it doesn't sound quite right, but our success rate is at 99.9% of those on day parole who do not reoffend violently.
We do the best we can in terms of making our decisions. We use the best tools available. We take all of the available information, but perhaps, in some cases, all of the information isn't there.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Thank you.
You are aware that this tragic case has destroyed the credibility of the Parole Board and the confidence of Canadians in it. You are aware of that, aren't you?
Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
I am aware of the potential. I am not aware that, in fact, it has destroyed all Canadians' confidence, but I am certainly aware of the potential.
I'd say to this committee, too, that the Parole Board is one of the least understood, and I would say grossly misunderstood, organizations in the criminal justice system.
