Commissioner's update for correctional employees: December 8, 2025

In one of my messages earlier this year, I shared that our national communications team has been working with institutions across the country on a new video docuseries.

I am excited to share that this new series is called “Shift.”

In this new series, cameras follow our dedicated front-line staff on their shifts, giving Canadians a real-time view of their work and hearing directly from them in their own words. This series showcases the hard and important work they do every day to keep Canadians safe.

The title “Shift” carries a dual meaning: while we follow staff on their shift, we also invite viewers to shift their perspective by seeing the important work done through the eyes of front-line staff.

As CSC undertakes culture change, this series provide an opportunity to tell your story effectively, highlight your positive impact, and demonstrate the essential role you play in public safety across Canada.

Your work is challenging and not for everyone. I believe “Shift” will help Canadians gain a greater appreciation for the dedication and professionalism you bring to this vital role, and show how proud you are to contribute to keeping communities safe.

Thank you to the Wardens, Correctional Officers, and all staff at the Atlantic, Cowansville, and Edmonton Institutions who welcomed our national communications team and helped produce the first episodes.

You can watch a sneak preview in the trailer here:

• Shift

For nearly 25 years, the Mother-Child Program has helped strengthen the bond between mothers and their children in all CSC women’s institutions, always keeping the child’s best interests at heart.

Since 2001, 158 women and 190 children have participated in the on-site component, which allows children to live with their mothers at the institution, either full-time or part-time.

I am pleased to share that in April 2025, we reached an exciting milestone with the launch of the Mother-Child Program National Application. This new digital tool replaces manual tracking and ensures consistent, accurate data collection across institutions. It captures not only on-site participation, but also other bonding services such as visits, family liaison, child welfare agencies support and mediation, temporary absences for parental responsibilities, pre/post natal support and parenting skills program.

This application enhances transparency and accountability, guides program improvements, and will help us measure the program’s effectiveness, outcomes, and long-term impact.

Thank you to everyone involved for your dedication to the success of the Mother-Child Program and your collaboration on this important new tool.

On December 10, we celebrate Human Rights Day – a day that commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It is an opportunity for us to learn more about ways we can stand up for our rights as well as those of others.

At CSC, we are strongly committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and respectful workplace, free from harassment and discrimination. It is our responsibility to uphold the rights of the offenders in our care and custody, as well as the rights of our employees, partners, and visitors.

I encourage you to learn more about the activities organized by our Human Rights Division.

Each year, on December 6, we remember the lives of the 14 young women who were murdered at the Polytechnique Montréal in 1989, in an anti-feminist attack. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is about remembering those who have experienced gender-based violence and those who we have lost to it. 

You can read the Prime Minister’s Statement:

• Statement by Prime Minister Carney on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women | Prime Minister of Canada

Thank you to everyone for your amazing work. Your commitment to keeping people safe makes a real difference in our institutions and communities.