Commissioner's update for correctional employees: October 1, 2024
This content is a message to Correctional Service Canada (CSC) staff from CSC's Commissioner.
Our Mission: The Correctional Service of Canada, as part of the criminal justice system and respecting the rule of law, contributes to public safety by actively encouraging and assisting offenders to become law-abiding citizens, while exercising reasonable, safe, secure and humane control.
Our core values: Respect, fairness, professionalism, inclusiveness, and accountability.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. It’s important to remember there may be CSC employees who have personal ties to the region and who may be severely affected by this intolerable situation. I hope all employees and managers will be sensitive to, and supportive of, their colleagues with connections to the region.
A joint statement from Canada and several other countries is available here:
Women’s History Month
This month, we celebrate Women’s History Month around the world. This important commemoration allows us to look back on how far we have come in supporting and recognizing the contributions of women in our society.
Did you know that CSC’s first minimum security institution for women was opened in 1990? It was named after the first woman Superintendent of the Prison for Women, Isabel Macneill. This facility closed its doors in 2007.
I encourage you to take a look at this timeline to discover notable events in Canadian women’s history and learn more about the powerful women who created change.
Faces of CSC
Elder Paul Bourgeois works at Warkworth Institution in the Ontario Region. He talks about how The Circle and what it represents is foundational to the work he and other Elders do in Indigenous Services. The Circle is based on the principles of kindness, generosity, honesty, and strength.Read more about the importance of The Circle
Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day
Last weekend, CSC's Ceremonial Unit, CSC staff and I attended the 47th annual Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Service on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa.
We took the time to remember those who have fallen in the line of duty and honour the contributions, service and sacrifices that police and peace officers make every day. I would like to share some pictures from this moving event.
Once more, I want to thank you all for your hard work, commitment and dedication to keeping Canadians safe.
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Meet your new CSC Ombuds
I would like to congratulate William (Bill) Rasmus, who is the new CSC Ombuds for Workplace Well-being.
Bill has worked in corrections for 35 years, with more than two decades at the institutional level. Over the years, he served as a chaplain and an institutional manager. More recently, he has led the unit responsible for many services including Ethnocultural Services, Chaplaincy, and Social Programs.
As you know, CSC's Ombuds is an independent, impartial and confidential resource available to you where you can raise and resolve workplace issues informally and without fear of reprisal.
I am confident that Bill will build on the work done so far to bring awareness to the services available through the Office of the Ombuds and support us in building a safe, respectful and inclusive work environment worthy of your trust. I strongly believe that his many years of experience, passion and dedication will be an asset to our organization.
I also want to thank Tammy Carroll, who has been acting Ombuds since January. Your contributions and hard work are very much appreciated.
Friends of the Penitentiary Museum 60th anniversary celebration
Last week, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of Canada’s Penitentiary Museum in Kingston, at an event hosted by the Friends of the Penitentiary Museum.
We also honoured the Friends of the Museum and all volunteers for their unwavering dedication and support.
Over the past six decades, the Museum has transformed into an essential educational resource as it continues to highlight the important role of federal corrections in Canadian society. The Museum has welcomed more than 25, 000 people this year.
I want to thank Dave St. Onge, the Museum’s curator, the Friends of the Penitentiary Museum, and all of the volunteers for their hard work in making the Museum the success it is today.
If you have not already done so, I encourage you to plan a visit:
Update on Dry Cell Regulations
Today, October 1, 2024, marks the coming into force of regulatory amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations. This allows for the use of body scanner searches in federal institutions. The amendments also prescribe changes to the use of dry cells specifying criteria for admission and release, duration limits, as well as monitoring and reporting.
These amendments are paired with the coming into force of provisions to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act from Bill C-83, which create the framework for body scanners and remove the use of X-ray scans as a method for contraband detection.
This is an important shift to CSC’s searching practices and reflects our commitment to preventing the introduction of contraband and keeping our institutions safe.
To learn more, I encourage you to read the updates to the Searches and Seizures section of the Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations, and review the corresponding policy updates to Commissioner’s Directive 566-7 – Searching of Offenders. (Internal Link)
Quarterly Update on HR and Pay
Last Thursday, an important email was sent to you regarding updates on HR and your pay.
Christiane Fox, Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council, Associate Chief Human Resources Officer, Francis Trudel, and Associate Deputy Minister, Alex Benay, are hosting quarterly sessions on HR and pay for federal employees.
These sessions are a follow-up to the first sessions, offered July 9. They will keep you up to date on how we’re addressing challenges with the current pay system and highlight efforts to explore a new, modern HR and pay solution for employees.
I invite you to register for the sessions, on October 2:
- English session: October 2, from 1 to 2 p.m. (ET)
- French session: October 2, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (ET)
Ethnocultural Offender Calendar
CSC is developing its fourth ethnocultural calendar for 2025. This year’s calendar will showcase offender artwork and poetry on anti-racism and anti-discrimination under the theme: “Diversity is Strength.” To ensure this initiative is a success, we are relying on the contributions of offenders. We want to give them the opportunity to express themselves and to have their messages heard through their own artwork and poetry.
The Reintegration Services Division, under the Correctional Operations and Programs Sector, is asking for help from Social Program Officers and Ethnocultural Site Coordinators to promote this opportunity with offenders and encourage their participation.
Thank you for your continued efforts to enhance CSC’s capacity to effectively respond to the needs of ethnocultural offenders. We could not do it without you!
“Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.”
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