Evidence of meeting #80 for Status of Women in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:40 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
I will call this meeting to order.
This is meeting number 80 of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.
We're pleased to begin our study on indigenous women in the federal justice and corrections system.
We are going to begin with a number of department officials.
Ms. Kelly, are you starting?
11:40 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Okay.
We welcome Deputy Commissioner Anne Kelly from Correctional Service of Canada.
11:40 a.m.
Senior Deputy Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
Madam Chair, I'd like to thank the honourable members of this committee for the opportunity to appear before you today on behalf of the Correctional Service of Canada, or CSC, regarding your study of indigenous women in the criminal justice system.
My name is Anne Kelly and I'm the senior deputy commissioner of CSC, a position that includes responsibility for indigenous corrections. I'm pleased to be joined today by Dr. Kelley Blanchette, deputy commissioner for women. Dr. Blanchette is responsible for the development and oversight of programs for all federally sentenced women.
Today, we are hopeful that we can provide the committee with some insight on how CSC is continuing to strengthen its approach for indigenous female offenders in Canada.
As the committee is no doubt aware, indigenous women represent a significant and growing proportion of the incarcerated population, 37% of all incarcerated women offenders.
While CSC cannot control the number of indigenous Canadians receiving federal sentences, our work and interventions can ultimately impact, to some degree, the length of time offenders remain in custody, the security level of the institution in which they are managed, and the timing of the presentation of their cases to the Parole Board of Canada for conditional release decisions.
Therefore, to begin, I'd like to provide the committee with information on how our programs and initiatives are aimed at making a positive impact on indigenous female offenders.
Our approach to working with indigenous women is holistic and women-centred, and is built to address their unique needs and contribute to their safe and timely reintegration into the community. Within the continuum of care for indigenous women, CSC has a stream of correctional programs specifically designed for them, which is referred to as the circle of care. These programs are culturally grounded and elder assisted.
Additionally, the service has implemented a pathways initiative at various sites across Canada for incarcerated indigenous women who are committed to following an intensive, traditional path of healing and actively working with elders or spiritual advisers.
The Aboriginal Women's Pathways Continuum provide opportunities for indigenous women to engage in healing intervention supported by elders or spiritual advisors through ceremonies, teachings, circles, and cultural activities.
In addition to these initiatives, section 81 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act also allows the minister to enter into an agreement with an indigenous community to provide correctional services to indigenous women. There's currently one section 81 agreement for women, with Buffalo Sage Wellness House, in Edmonton, Alberta, where the needs of up to 28 women offenders serving federal sentences are addressed through indigenous teachings and ceremonies, contact with elders, and culturally relevant programming.
In response to the “2017 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada - Preparing Women Offenders for Release”, which was tabled last week, CSC has accepted every recommendation and has already taken many steps to ensure that indigenous women offenders are safely released into the community at their earliest parole eligibility date.
In support of this effort, Budget 2017 allocated $55.2 million over five years and $10.9 million per year thereafter to assist with rehabilitating and reintegrating indigenous women offenders.
In addition, CSC is finalizing an aboriginal intervention centre model to take into consideration the unique reintegration needs of indigenous women offenders. The aboriginal intervention centres will integrate intake, programs, and interventions, and will seek to strengthen the culturally responsive approach to case management that maximizes involvement of the indigenous community. Trained and dedicated case management teams will be established to ensure case coordination that takes into consideration the woman's aboriginal social history and to promote a more integrated and proactive approach to correctional planning.
It is our belief that this initiative will further increase the timely case preparation of indigenous women for release earlier in their sentence increasing their chances for successful reintegration into the community. In fact, since 2012-13, the percentage of sentence served prior to release for indigenous women has decreased significantly, from 57% to 37%.
Finally, in response to the Auditor General's report, we have developed, and continue to develop, both short- and long-term options to ensure safe and supportive accommodations and interventions for women offenders with mental health needs.
CSC changed its policies this past year to restrict the use of administrative segregation for offenders with serious mental illness with significant impairment. The service is also in the midst of reviewing its security classification process and implementing a new referral tool to improve how we assign women offenders to programs.
In conclusion, while CSC cannot do it alone, it can play an important role in addressing the disproportionate representation of indigenous women in its institutions. We continue to strive to provide effective interventions and reintegration support to first nation, Métis, and Inuit men and women.
We will look forward to the results of this study, as it is our hope that we can be part of a larger collaborative strategy with our criminal justice partners, indigenous organizations, agencies, and community stakeholders to improve results for indigenous peoples.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. We welcome your questions.
Thank you.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Thank you, Ms. Kelly.
The clerk was advising me, and I'll let the committee know, that these witnesses are available until 12:15. We've obviously started late. That would give Mr. Zinger 45 minutes of committee time. I would suggest that if there are additional questions, we can submit them to the clerk. I also think the committee could perhaps decide if we want to recall these witnesses, given their importance to the study. We could consider that.
If that is okay with everybody, we'll continue with the Parole Board.
11:45 a.m.
Suzanne Brisebois Director General, Policy and Operations, Parole Board of Canada
Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee, for this invitation to appear before you today. We welcome this opportunity to contribute to your study.
Joining me today is Michelle Van De Bogart, acting chief operating officer and the portfolio lead for indigenous initiatives at the board.
As you're likely aware, the Parole Board of Canada is an independent administrative tribunal responsible for making decisions on the conditional release of offenders. The board's conditional release mandate is prescribed by the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, or CCRA.
The board contributes to the protection of society by facilitating, as appropriate, the timely reintegration of offenders into society as law-abiding citizens. This can include, but is not limited to, conditional release decisions relating to temporary absences, day parole, and full parole.
The board is guided by core values that respect the inherent potential and dignity of all individuals and the equal rights of all members of society. In addition, section 151(3) of the CCRA requires that the board's policies respect gender, ethnic, cultural and linguistic differences and be responsive to the special needs of women and indigenous peoples, as well as to the needs of other groups of offenders with special requirements.
Parole decisions are made by board members, who are appointed by Governor in Council, that is, by the Governor General on the advice of the federal cabinet. On appointment, all board members receive extensive training on risk assessment and interviewing techniques, as well as on the policies and legislation that govern the board's activities.
In making decisions, board members must determine whether an offender will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society before the expiration of his or her sentence and whether the offender will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating his or her safe reintegration as a law-abiding citizen.
With regard to indigenous offenders, board members consider the Supreme Court of Canada's Gladue principles as part of their decision-making. In addition, and to further address the needs of indigenous offenders, the board provides alternate models of parole hearings, specifically elder-assisted and community-assisted hearings. Public safety is the primary consideration in all board decisions.
The disproportionate growth of the indigenous federal offender population continues to be a pressing issue for the board. To help the board better meet the needs of this group, it has put into place two advisory bodies whose specific focus relates to indigenous initiatives.
The first is the chairperson's indigenous circle, which was established in 1999. The chairperson's indigenous circle serves to provide strategic advice to the board on matters related to policy development, training, and operations, ensuring that it recognizes the unique societal and cultural values related to indigenous offenders, victims, and their communities.
The second is the national elders gathering, which brings all of the board's elders together once a year to discuss and provide advice and guidance to the chairperson's indigenous circle on the board's indigenous initiatives and programs.
As mentioned, the board has also developed elder-assisted and community-assisted hearings. These hearings have been designed to specifically respond to the cultural values and traditions of indigenous offenders, while facilitating a more accurate understanding of the offender by board members. In 2016-17, the board held 605 elder-assisted hearings of which 16% were for indigenous women offenders and 3% were for non-indigenous women offenders.
The board has also implemented community-assisted hearings. Community-assisted hearings provide indigenous community members with an opportunity to participate in the hearing of the offender and to explain their proposed plan for the offender's conditional release and reintegration into the community. This type of hearing is normally held in the community and involves the offender's section 84 release plan. In 2016-17, the board held four community-assisted hearings.
The board also continues to incorporate principles that come from jurisprudence, including the Gladue, Ipeelee, and Twins decisions. The principles and considerations raised by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Gladue decision have an impact on every aspect of the criminal justice system, including the Parole Board of Canada.
Aboriginal social history factors are a vital consideration in all board member risk assessments for indigenous offenders, and the board provides indigenous cultural awareness training for all its board members and staff.
The board has also enhanced its board member orientation, continuous development, and policies around indigenous offenders to ensure that this type of legal consideration is both incorporated and demonstrated in the analysis for their parole decisions.
The board also actively engages in outreach activities with indigenous offenders and communities. It also continues to strengthen its relationships with key indigenous leaders and to partner with them to support the recruitment of indigenous board members, elders, and staff to enable greater representation of the communities it serves.
This concludes my opening remarks. We would be pleased to take any questions that the committee may have.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Thank you.
I'm sorry to interrupt again. I've spoken with the clerk, and we're only going to have time for three minutes per side for questions.
I'd like some guidance from the committee. Given the importance of these departments, what are your thoughts on inviting these witnesses to come back perhaps in January or later in the study to provide more information to us? I'm just putting that out there.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
You're talking about January. I think maybe you're talking about later.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Perhaps we can have this conversation when the rest of our regular committee members, including our chair, are here. I know we had quite a discussion about scheduling witnesses for this. I think it's totally appropriate, but maybe we could make that decision when we're all together next time.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Sure. It would be helpful for the clerk and for the witnesses who are here if they had some idea that perhaps they would be called back, but we can wait.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
I know these witnesses are always quite willing to come to committee.
Sorry to interrupt. You can go ahead.
11:50 a.m.
Angela Connidis Director General, Crime Prevention, Corrections and Criminal Justice Directorate, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Good morning, Madam Chair, and honourable members of this committee. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to appear here before you today on this important study.
My name is Angela Arnet Connidis. I am the director general of crime prevention in the corrections and criminal justice directorate at Public Safety Canada.
I'm abridging the notes that you received, so I apologize if this confuses you or the translators.
Today I'm going to speak to you about four key initiatives funded by Public Safety Canada that work to support indigenous communities to prevent crime, to create safe environments, and to improve the reintegration outcomes of indigenous offenders.
The first initiative is Public Safety Canada's aboriginal community safety planning initiative, which we usually refer to as community safety planning. This initiative was announced as part of the 2015 government action plan to address family violence and violent crimes against aboriginal women and girls. Community safety planning is focused on building a community's capacity to create a safe community itself by providing whatever support the community needs to develop and implement a community safety plan.
In this grassroots approach, our officials reach out to indigenous communities, and we offer to act as a resource and a support for a core group of community members who will consult within their community and with their leadership over the course of this process. It's crucially important that the community itself want this help.
This process results in a community safety plan that is truly built by the community. It is customized with activities that examine historical factors and draw from the unique circumstances of the community, and it lays out a pathway to a safer and healthier community that once more is tailored for that community.
Community safety plans have often demonstrated a commitment to addressing family violence and violent crimes against indigenous women and girls. To date, Public Safety has engaged with over 100 communities, 29 of which have completed their plans and are in various stages of implementation. As well, we are in the midst of a pilot project with as many as 10 communities that have completed plans, and in which we are engaging other federal departments such as Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Indigenous Services, Status of Women, and Health Canada, as well as ministries and provincial governments that have a role to play in implementing components of community safety plans. From these partners' perspectives, community safety plans help to more effectively target their funding, and ensure that they are supporting projects the communities have identified as priorities.
The seasoned initiative I want to talk about is the national crime prevention strategy. The delivery of crime prevention programs through the strategy is another way we are responsive to the vulnerability of indigenous women and girls to violence and victimization. The department's programs and initiatives include a focus on high-risk children and youth who present multiple risk factors for later delinquency, including having been exposed to or victims of violence in the family. In addition, the department supports interventions that are aimed at preventing reoffending among high-risk chronic offenders in communities, including those who have a known history of spousal or child abuse.
The strategy has a targeted northern and aboriginal crime prevention fund that supports culturally sensitive crime prevention practices to reduce offending among at-risk children and youth both on and off reserve and in the north. The fund also supports the dissemination of knowledge and the development of crime prevention tools and resources for northern and aboriginal communities. Of the crime prevention projects the department has supported since 2012, 46% have involved indigenous people or communities.
The third initiative I'm going to talk about is our first nations policing program. Budget 2017 committed $102 million over five years staring in 2018-19 for policing in indigenous communities. The first nations policing program supports policing services that are professional, dedicated, and responsive to the first nation and Inuit communities they serve. First nations policing services contribute to the improvement of social order, public security, and personal safety in first nations and Inuit communities, including, of course, the safety of women, children, and other vulnerable groups.
The fourth initiative I'm going to refer to is the indigenous community corrections initiative. Budget 2017 provided Public Safety with $10 million over five years in contribution funding to support training and capacity building within indigenous communities, and to help them implement community-based projects that will assist in the reintegration of indigenous offenders and provide alternatives to incarceration. The specific and unique needs of female indigenous offenders, as well as balanced gender representation, will be taken into account when assessing initiatives to receive project funding.
Eligible recipients include indigenous not-for-profit organizations and indigenous governments and/or municipal governments, working in collaboration with indigenous organizations or communities, indigenous communities themselves, and Canadian universities and colleges. The call for proposals recently closed, and we are now in the process of reviewing the submissions.
As I stated earlier this year to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security which is also studying indigenous corrections, to reduce the overrepresentation of indigenous people in federal custody, we need to focus on the social history and the risk factors present in people's lives that contribute to people getting involved in the criminal justice system. Solutions need to be developed and delivered in collaboration with indigenous people, communities, and organizations. This is true regardless of gender, but is especially relevant when considering the incarceration rates and lived experiences of indigenous women.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to address you, and I welcome any questions you may have.
Noon
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Thank you very much.
On our first round, we'll go to Ms. Jordan, for three minutes.
