Commissioner’s Update Stakeholders: July 8, 2025
I am pleased to share some key updates since my last message.
New Minister
As you may have heard, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree was appointed as our new Minister of Public Safety.
The Honourable Ruby Sahota was also named as Secretary of State for Combatting Crime.
It has been great to get to know our Minister a bit more over the past few months. I know he will certainly meet with several of our stakeholders as well as he eases into his new role.
IEDM National Meeting
On the week of April 21st, France Gratton, Acting Senior Deputy Commissioner, Jay Pyke, Assistant Commissioner for the Correctional Operations and Programs Sector and I were pleased to meet with the Independent External Decision Makers (IEDM), a group of professionals with different backgrounds, knowledge and perspectives that render decisions on inmates in the Structured Intervention Units, in real-time. The IEDMs actively participated in the meeting, which proved to be very insightful.
National Volunteer Week
From April 28th to May 2nd, we celebrated National Volunteer Week with a theme of “Volunteers make waves.” This was a time to honor the incredible contributions of volunteers across Canada.
I am proud to highlight that CSC partners with thousands of volunteers in both institutions and in the community. Volunteers, including our Citizen Advisory Committee and Ethnocultural Advisory Committee members, bring a wealth of diversity, skills, and dedication to CSC’s important work and its mission. Our volunteers play a pivotal role in building community support networks and helping with offender rehabilitation and reintegration.
I want to extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to our remarkable volunteers. Your unwavering commitment and efforts truly create waves of positive change.
To show their appreciation for volunteers, offenders expressed their gratitude through creative art and poetry. It is now available to view: Recognition.
James A. Murphy Citizen Advisory Committee Award Recipient
This year’s James A. Murphy Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) Award recipient was Mary Stephenson, a member from Grande Cache Institution (GCI) in the Prairie Region. For nearly thirty years, Mary has been an invaluable asset to the CAC, 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 CAC.
You can read more about Mary here:
Faces of CSC: Roberte Lodimus
Roberte Lodimus offers therapeutic group sessions to Black offenders in the Quebec Region, a powerful way to provide an opportunity to speak about feelings and emotions in a judgement-free space to many offenders. Building community connections and having a positive space to share experiences is an important part of effective rehabilitation efforts.
Roberte and her team at Friends2go, the non-profit mental health organization she founded, work to adapt their programs to the unique needs of offenders. Read more about Roberte and her work:
Moose Hide Campaign at Kent and Mountain Institutions
On May 15, the Assistant Warden of Operations, Roger Sehra, organized a walk to acknowledge and draw awareness to the Moose Hide Campaign, a grassroots Indigenous-led movement of men and boys to stand up against violence against women and children.
The 3-km walk was led by Elders Clarence George and Phil L’Hirondelle and joined by approximately 50 staff from Kent and Mountain Institutions. Many of the participants were observing a 24-hour fast in support of this movement.
Red Dress Day
Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, was on May 5th. It was 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 to work together to contribute to the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Victims and Survivors of Crime Week
From May 11 to 17, Canada recognized the courage and resilience of victims of crime during Victims and Survivors of Crime Week. The week aims to raise public awareness of the issues facing victims, and the services available to them.
CSC provides services to more than 9,000 registered victims, which requires the effort of our Regional Victim Services Units and many more to uphold victims’ rights to information, participation and protection. By providing compassionate, professional, victim-centered and trauma-informed services to victims, CSC helps protect victims and their families, contributing to safer and stronger communities.
House of Nations at Archambault Institution
On May 30, Archambault Institution, in the Quebec Region, celebrated the inauguration of the House of Nations at the Indigenous Intervention Centre. This represents an important step to acknowledging the generational trauma of Indigenous inmates.
The new building was created to provide a space adapted to Indigenous culture where activities and ceremonies can be held. This space will allow Indigenous peoples serving federal sentences to continue their healing path.
Policy Updates
Policy suite CD 711 and related guidelines – Structured Intervention Units (SIUs) has been updated to meet operational needs, and to clarify accountabilities, direction, and timelines involved in SIU and restricted movement procedures and decisions.
Revised CD 710-8 - Private Family Visits includes policy direction resulting from a review by the Canadian Human Rights Commission and clarifies existing definitions and direction.
The full list of our policies, including those updated and archived, can be found here: Commissioner's Directives.
Prisons Inside/Out Podcast
Episode 15 is part two of our exploration of cultural reconnection in Indigenous corrections. We look at how cultural identity and community support are key to the safe and successful reintegration of Indigenous offenders.
In Episode 14, we talk about what it’s like to provide health services to inmates in federal prisons.
You can listen to all previous episodes of the “Prisons Inside/Out” podcast on our website here:
I want to recognize your continuous support, as our stakeholders’ contributions are vital to the success of various initiatives improving the lives of the people in our care and custody.
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