Daily Notes

March 27, 2008

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Energy and Drive: Ursula Morris, CACNational Executive Committee Chair

This conference is an exciting opportunity to gather knowledge, give feedback and gain energy for new initiatives, says Ursula Morris, the new National Chair of the Citizens’ Advisory Committees (CACs) National Executive Committee (NEC). “We have to start moving forward, not just at the national level, but at local levels,” she says.

One of the conference highlights is that conference attendees will hear directly from Transformation Committee members about the implementation of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) Review Panel report, A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety. This report is “the most in-depth study of corrections we’ve seen in many years,” Morris says, likening it to the 1977 MacGuigan Report, which helped reshape the corrections service of its day. It’s a promising indication of the government’s willingness to evaluate and to make change.

The conference is also an opportunity to give feedback on what’s going on at the local level. According to Morris, this is especially important, as the flow of information between Corrections and the committees has been a matter of concern. “As representatives of our communities,we absolutely need to play the role we’re designed to play, and that’s to advise,” she says. More than that, committee members “want to not only be giving advice, but to know where [their] advice went.”As Chair, Morris’ goal is to ensure that every person who provides advice gets a response.

In addition to the flow of information, Morris hopes the conference will provide a boost of energy and enthusiasm. Like many organizations that start with gusto but fall into a rut, “across the country, many CACs are floundering without direction,” she says. This conference will be like “turning on a light.” People “are going to start thinking and wanting to be involved, because there’s so much to be involved with!”

Morris urges participants to share ideas with as many fellow attendees as possible, and to make the connection to their own communities. Above all, she says, they should leave knowing that “we are important, and we are going to be seen as people who are committed to our community, and to the safety of our communities.”

Make-up of Citizens’ Advisory Committees

National Executive Committee (NEC) members discussed the make-up of Citizens’ Advisory Committees (CACs) and possible changes to Commissioner’s Directive 023, so as to cover every community’s situation.

Jim Murphy, CAC NEC Co-chair and Director of Community Relations, initiated the discussion by asking what constitutes a CAC.

Although five to 15 members are specified, a committee of one member may be acceptable because the committee has been depleted through attrition. Attempting to restart a closed committee would be very difficult.

“The size of the community the CAC draws from is also a factor,” one NEC member said. For example, a smaller community with three sites may have exhausted the pool of available volunteers.

“Effectiveness is more significant than numbers,” said another member. Some small committees may have very dedicated, active members, while some larger committees don’t seem as involved.

In response to Murphy’s comment that the Commissioner’s Directive 023 (CD023) would have to be re-examined, leading to “logical changes,” members offered several suggestions. These included removing the word “each” as a modifier of “site,” removing the stipulation that an individual can’t represent two institutions, and providing for one CAC per operating unit with consideration given to the size of the community.

The NEC concluded the meeting by deciding to collect an inventory of existing CACs by region to obtain information about membership and location, as well as consider potential policy revisions.

Acknowledgement of previous NEC members

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of Citizens’Advisory Committees (CACs) is set to acknowledge outstanding contributions by some former members and support staff.

Volunteers, board members, and support staff are at the heart of the CACs' efforts to build strong and safe communities for Canadians. Their advice, guidance and insight are priceless.

As a token of its appreciation, the NEC of CACs has decided to acknowledge the exceptional contribution of some former members and support staff, individuals who have brought their individual perspective and expertise to the organization, creating valuable links between Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and communities across Canada.

The award recipients will receive a certificate of appreciation and a letter from the NEC to thank them for their contribution.

“We want to acknowledge people for the work they have done, their knowledge and their commitment,” said Ursula Morris, Chair of the NEC. “I think so much of what they have done is important. They gave their time and their energy, and we should recognize that.”

“Everyone who has come before us has left a legacy,” said Jim Murphy, Director of Community Relations, CSC.“We have a duty to acknowledge and honour that.”

Expense Claims and Regional Reports

The National Executive Committee (NEC) discussed a range of issues important to Citizens’ Advisory Committees (CAC) members, including reimbursement of expense claims and the value of producing meaningful regional reports.

The members of the NEC discussed the best way to ensure all CAC members are reimbursed as quickly as possible for expenses incurred in carrying out their duties.

They acknowledged that this issue is important for all members, and decided to table the item for further discussion at the Regional Coordinators’ meeting on March 28.

NEC members also presented their regional reports, which outline activities and issues of interest in their region for the last quarter. These include CAC roles and responsibilities, public education, outreach, sustainability and recruitment. The members confirmed deadlines for the tabling of local, regional and national annual reports.

They also discussed the importance of producing regional reports that are meaningful documents, for the benefit of Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), the NEC and all CAC members.

Regional Chair Training

Sean Taylor, former National Chair of the National Executive Committee (NEC), spoke to NEC members on Thursday about the role of the Regional Chairperson at the NEC table.

The aim of his presentation was to provide guidance to new NEC members and serve as a refresher course for returning ones.

Taylor kicked off the presentation by identifying several reference documents, such as the Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) Mission and Mandate, that would help prepare members for their role on the NEC.

“Often, there are direct links between the Mission and Mandate, the Constitution, and the Commissioner’s Directive 023 (CD023),” Taylor said. He recommended members use the documents to support any arguments made at the NEC table.

Regional Chairs are responsible for developing the NEC agenda in conjunction with other members and the Correctional Services Canada (CSC) liaisons. It’s important to ensure that discussion takes place at the lower levels before an item comes to the attention of the NEC. A member must represent the interests of all local sites in the region, not just some.

Communication is a big part of the Regional Chairs’ role. They act as conduits, advancing issues from the region and taking issues back from the NEC. They often provide input into policy changes and jointly develop and review the regional strategic plan. Further, they maintain regular communication with the CSC Coordinator.

The CSC conducted an evaluation of CACs, which fed an action plan to take them to 2010. It has also created a Citizen Engagement Strategy, which was shared with the CACs. It’s important for the NEC members “to appreciate what’s in it,” because they will be contributing to the fulfillment of that strategy.

Jim Murphy, Director of Community Relations, recommended that at the next NEC meeting, the members spend some time working on an agreed-to plan for the next few years. He said the NEC should sit down as a collective and decide what it can do. Discussions would be influenced by the conference, and by the transformation dialogue.

“It would be an ideal time for us to set some parameters,” Murphy said. Ron Joiner, Atlantic Region, suggested calling it a National Strategic Plan rather than objectives, and agreed it needed to be done quickly.

On the topic of reporting, Taylor said Regional Chairs are responsible for contributing to the annual report, ensuring all local sites provide reports and summarizing regional events (“activities that are currently happening, have happened or events that are being planned”) for the coming year for the NEC. They should also meet with their respective Regional Deputy Commissioners when necessary.

Taylor identified training as another area of responsibility for the Regional Chairs. They must provide orientation for new members “in a timely fashion,” distribute all written materials and provide media and other related training. He referred specifically to “support training” in areas such as the use of force, which can contribute to establishing credibility with frontline staff. Regional Chairs must be familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order and all references to CAC activity.

Murphy suggested that the next agenda include an opportunity for a dialogue on Taylor’s presentation and resources. He said Regional Chairs could not perform their duties as expected, without resources. Such a discussion would be “wise, prudent and practical.”

Conflict of interest status report

The National Executive Committee (NEC) discussed the revised assessment tool for Citizens’ Advisory Committees (CAC) conflict-of-interest situations, and decided fine-tuning is required.

The NEC of CACs received an update on the progress made in the creation and dissemination of the assessment tool for CAC conflict-of-interest situations.

The tool, which includes a form and conflict-of-interest guidelines, is used for new members and renewing members. The NEC has revised it and the tool will be fine-tuned, following recommendations from the meeting. The tool’s objective is to ensure that any conflict or potential conflict of interest is flagged and dealt with appropriately.

Members of the NEC said they felt strongly that more work needed to be done on this issue to ensure consistency across the country as to how the appropriate authority identifies, evaluates and handles perceived or real conflicts of interest.

The NEC decided to create a working group to evaluate the work that has been done on this issue and continue to develop a consistent action plan and process to deal with conflict-ofinterest situations.

“We need to determine where we were, where we are and where we are going,” said Ursula Morris, Chair of the NEC.

Sub-committees

Is there a need for additional sub-committees? Members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) during a discussion on Sub-committees at the NEC meeting on March 27^th.

Currently, there are four sub-committees—Maximum Security Institutions, Community Reintegration, Restorative Justice and Federally Sentenced Women. Of these, only the last one falls under the NEC’s control, although an NEC member sits on each of the subcommittees.

Some members asked whether the sub-committees should be expanded to include topics such as mental health. Others cautioned against having too many subcommittees.

Members decided to collect an inventory of each committee and its activities for discussion at a later NEC meeting.