Commissioner's update for correctional employees: May 5, 2025

Red Dress Day

Today is Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It is a day of action to raise awareness of the ongoing issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people (MMIWG2S+) in Canada.

On Red Dress Day we honor the lives lost as we continue our work together to contribute to the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. My thanks to Elders working with CSC, and to Kathy Neil, Deputy Commissioner for Indigenous Corrections, Amy Jarrette, Deputy Commissioner for Women, and all CSC employees who are doing vitally important work in this area.

James A. Murphy Citizen Advisory Committee award recipient

Congratulations to this year’s James A. Murphy Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) award recipient, Mary Stephenson, who is an advisory member from Grande Cache Institution (GCI) in the Prairie Region. For nearly thirty years, Mary has been an invaluable asset to the CAC at GCI, including two decades as the committee’s chairperson. Her tireless commitment during challenging times, as well as her dedication to positive change and community initiatives have made a lasting difference in the institution and the community.

I would also like to acknowledge fellow regional nominees, Édith Lafontaine from Joliette Institution’s CAC, all of the CAC members from the Peterborough Parole Office, and Grant Anderson, a CSC staff member, working with the Kamloops, Kelowna and Prince George CACs. 

You can learn more about the award and recipient contributions: 

• James A. Murphy Award

It's Mental Health Week

Today marks the start of Mental Health Week. Living with mental health challenges often forces people to hide behind a “mask” to protect themselves from judgment and discrimination. This year’s theme, ‘’Unmasking Mental Health’’, encourages us to look beyond the surface. It reminds us to take the time to reflect, lend an ear, be open about our experiences, and learn about the resources available to improve mental health.

• Mental Health Week 2025: Unmasking Mental Health

As you know, the work that we do can be challenging and can impact our mental health. I want to remind you that seeking help is a sign of strength. If you need support or someone to listen, several resources are available to you:

• EAP referral agents (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
• Employee Assistance Program / TELUS Health (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
• PSPNET
• Office of the Ombuds for Workplace Well-being (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
• 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline

Podcast and “Lift me Up” videos: Atlantic Region

As you know, CSC’s communications team works to capture the stories of each region throughout the year, including in person meetings and interviews, where possible.

A few members of the communications team, including the Assistant Commissioner, Public Affairs, Culture and Engagement, Kirstan Gagnon, were in the Atlantic region last week to meet with, and listen to, colleagues in order to capture their stories. As you know, Kirstan is the host of our podcast: Prisons Inside/Out.

It was an opportunity to highlight and recognize the positive work you are doing with offenders in our parole offices and institutions, including within CORCAN. Thank you to all of those who participated. A big thank you as well to the staff who helped to organize the visits and took time to meet with them and share your knowledge. This will result in several new podcast episodes and videos, which will be released publicly. Stay tuned.

Thank you for the hard work you do everyday.