Response to parliamentary committees and external audits 2018-2019
- In May 2018, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) tabled its report, entitled: "Report 5 – Preparing Women Offender for Release – Correctional Service of Canada, of the Fall 2017 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada". The Committee heard testimony from the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the Office of the Auditor General. The PACP Committee made nine recommendations to CSC that seek to improve the preparation of women offenders for release into the community.
- CSC has accepted all nine recommendations and has developed a Management Action Plan to respond to all recommendations, and the Government has committed to reporting the results to Canadians.
- In June 2018, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) tabled its report, entitled "Report 22: Indigenous People in the Federal Correctional System". The Committee heard testimonies from expert witnesses. The report included 19 recommendations to the Correctional Service of Canada, in their study on the Indigenous offender population and issues with respect to the release and reintegration of Indigenous offenders. The study also touched on the criminalization and incarceration of Indigenous people.
- The Government has agreed in principle with the Committee's recommendations, and added that many programs are in place that respond to the concerns in the report. In addition, the intent of some of the recommendations can be achieved in absence of full implementation.
- In February 2019, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights (RIDR) tabled its interim report, entitled Study on the Human Rights of Federally-Sentenced Persons: The Most Basic Human Right is to be Treated as a Human Being. The Committee heard from various witnesses including the Correctional Service of Canada, the Office of the Correctional Investigator, and the Office of the Auditor General. The Committee's study is to examine and report issues relating to the human rights of prisoners in the correctional system.