Public Safety committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Very briefly, for those of you who don't know me, I'm a lawyer by background. I was at Solicitor General Canada and then Public Safety Canada from 1984 until 2013—you can do the math—under four different prime ministers and three different governments. I

Public Safety committee  Yes, I have a couple of comments on Parole Board appointments in particular because, as I say, I have been there through the Mulroney, Chrétien, Martin and Harper governments. I have seen a lot of appointments. That was part of my job. First off, you have to understand the model

Public Safety committee  Gosh. I wrote a list in the fall of 2015 about what needed to be done. I still have that list. I think some things have improved. There have been comments that the number of people out on parole has increased and that this is a bad thing. No. I think you have to look at that num

Public Safety committee  Of course, a terrible case always happens, and this is such a tragic case. The natural instinct is to think we need to change the system because of one case. That's really the worst thing you can do. You have to pinpoint what happened, if you can. These cases, as tragic as they

Public Safety committee  I think, as Mr. Myette has said, that tragic reforms were made to the Criminal Records Act. They have not been undone. Two major political parties apparently think that they're okay, and I'm strongly of the view that they're not helpful to reformation at all.

Public Safety committee  No, that new parole officer was not the first one who allowed those visits to happen. Again, you have to go back to the six special conditions that were placed by the board in the spring of that year. There is a fundamental difference between conditions imposed by the parole bo

Public Safety committee  Yes, let's be clear. I've been very candid all the way along, and people are free to disagree with me. I felt that the message that was sent down to everyone in the system was quite a harsh one, and it was listened to. There was quite an emphasis put on, “Are you remorseful for w

Public Safety committee  I think that the science of risk assessment has obviously improved greatly over the years. It's not a precise science. You have to bear in mind it's not just a binary in/out decision that the Parole Board makes. It's what the conditions are that would make this release safe. No

Public Safety committee  You are absolutely right.

Public Safety committee  That is correct.

Public Safety committee  That's not my assessment. The risk assessments say that a low-risk offender is defined against at least one of the risk assessment tools as four out of five will not reoffend in this manner. However, it's not directed toward the individual; it's saying that out of people with t

Public Safety committee  It's important to remember that this not the only test for releasing someone. The risk assessment scores are one factor. However, a whole lot more goes into making that decision, including such simple things as whether they have a home to go to, whether they have the support of f

Public Safety committee  As I said, I was shocked to read the inquiry report's comment that parole officers did not have specific training in domestic violence. I think the recommendation is a very solid one, and I think the recommendation should be taken up not just by CSC and the parole officers but al

Public Safety committee  I would be happy to do that.

Public Safety committee  I know Dr. Zinger has identified the number of staff per inmate ratio. I would beg you not to give more resources to the institutional side. Give them to the community side, where they are desperately needed.