Correctional Service Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Common menu bar links

Let's Talk

Warning This Web page has been archived on the Web.

Let's Talk

VOL. 31, NO. 1

The Pathways Unit at La Macaza Institution

The Path to Personal Growth and Healing

Enhanced capacities to provide effective interventions for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Offenders

BY Djamila Amellal, Communications Officer, Communications and Citizen Engagement

Photos: Bill Rankin

The Pathways Unit team
The Pathways Unit team. Seated: Elders Pierre Papatie and Colette Sabourin Standing: Elizabeth Alikashuak and Pierre Gervais

A Pathways Unit is a living environment that addresses the cultural and spiritual needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit offenders. A number of Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) institutions, including La Macaza Institution in the Quebec Region, have implemented this initiative. A Let’s Talk team met with Pierre Gervais, the Pathways coordinator at La Macaza, and his staff. They talked about the benefits of this approach, which meets CSC’s current priorities.

After two hours heading north on winding roads, the buildings of La Macaza Institution appear in the distance. The institution sprawls over a large area, which in the 1960s was the site of a U.S. army base, and later, an Aboriginal school. From there, you can see a longhouse and the tip of a great white tepee that pierces the blue sky. This medium-security institution houses about 257 offenders, of which nearly half are sex offenders undergoing intensive treatment.

According to Pierre Gervais, the coordinator for the Pathways initiative, the unit is the catalyst for progress made by offenders on their path to personal growth and eventual healing. “It is a way of life that First Nations, Inuit and Métis offenders can relate to in a more specific and personal way than they could to more mainstream programs,” explains Gervais. “Pathways creates the cultural ties that some inmates have lost for a variety of reasons, including their experiences with residential schools and assimilation into mainstream culture. Within Pathways, offenders interact with other participants who have similar dynamics, goals and beliefs.”

The Core of the Initiative

Pathways units were created in 2000 as a pilot project. In light of the makeup of the inmate population in the institution, management took a marked interest and, as a result, it underwent significant changes in 2004.

An offender (left) with Pierre Gervais in the longhouse, where inmates meet for social activities or for a sweat lodge organized by the Pathways team.
An offender (left) with Pierre Gervais in the longhouse, where inmates meet for social activities or for a sweat lodge organized by the Pathways team.

According to the small team working on Pathways, the unit fosters a way of living that takes into account the actual experiences of Aboriginal, Métis and Inuit offenders — experiences marked by residential schools, life on reserves, forced assimilation, broken family ties and a pervading feeling of helplessness in the face of change.

Pierre Gervais explains: “Pathways is an initiative that tries to offer solutions to alleviate certain social problems by recreating a way of life that enables offenders to reconnect to Aboriginal culture and philosophy and take their needs — such as self-esteem — into account.” Darryn Roy, Acting Manager, Aboriginal Initiatives Branch, National Headquarters, adds: “Pathways tries to create a special healing environment that encourages only positive behaviour. It is a considerable challenge, when considered in the context of a medium-security institution.”

The Pathways team consists of three Elders, a liaison officer, two program officers and Coordinator Pierre Gervais. Together, they work with nearly 60 offenders, providing them with individual counselling, organizing sweat lodges and other ceremonies and crafts workshops, and preparing traditional meals. In addition, the team works with parole officers, building a relationship of increased trust that is essential to achieving positive outcomes.

Pathways: Recognizing Differences

According to Pierre Gervais, “Commissioner’s Directive 702 does not refer to differences between Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis peoples; but in our institution we do find real differences, which Pathways tries to take into account. In Quebec alone, there are about 12 Aboriginal nations, including the Montagnais, Naskapi, Mohawk, Micmac and Malecite. The Inuit do not consider themselves Indians, but rather as a distinct Aboriginal people. They have their own culture, language and spiritual traditions. For example, sweetgrass is very important in First Nations spiritual ceremonies, but the Inuit do not use it. Pathways accommodates these differences because it is important to the offenders.”

An Alternative That Promotes Change

“Pathways is a healing tool,” says one offender, “a way to reconnect with my cultural heritage and with who I am. I used to be in a maximum-security institution in Kingston. I am here now, and I hope that the progress I’ve made will help me get into a minimum-security institution. I would rather talk to the Elders than to correctional officers. Their teachings are fantastic: respecting the land and the people. I prefer that to meetings with psychologists. Now, I make objects that are part of my culture and that I’m really proud of.”

Gervais explains that offenders wishing to participate in Pathways must show genuine motivation and commit to making positive emotional, mental, physical and spiritual changes. They must also demonstrate responsibility and show respect for others and themselves. “An inmate interested in Pathways has to fill out the participation request form, explaining why he is interested in joining Pathways,” he says. “After consultations with the Elders, the coordinator, the liaison officer, the correctional officer and the parole officer, the case is discussed by the Pavilion Board, and if the decision is favourable, we hold a welcome ceremony for the new member.”

Participants are housed in C Block living unit. They must follow traditional protocols, keep to their correctional plans and obey the institution’s regulations.

The Elders’ Central Role

In the activities room, an inmate burns sweetgrass and immerses himself in its scent. In front of him, on an Aboriginal mat, are works of art, a fox fur and a drum.
In the activities room, an inmate burns sweetgrass and immerses himself in its scent. In front of him, on an Aboriginal mat, are works of art, a fox fur and a drum.

Elders Pierre Papatie, Colette Sabourin and Elizabeth Alikashuak work side by side with Pierre Gervais. When asked how they fit into Pathways, Elder Papatie says: “I think God chose me to play a role here. Pathways harmonizes body and soul through various activities. We must listen to them because their past is holding them back.”

Métis Colette Sabourin, another Elder and former midwife, says that being there for offenders in their troubled times is crucial to the healing process. “I have been here with the team for two years. I was sent by the Creator. I have lived the cultural duality and today I’m proud of it, but it hasn’t always been easy. Self-acceptance is important. In Pathways, we focus on the offenders’ best inner qualities rather than on their negative side.”

Elizabeth Alikashuak has been in the institution for 13 years and works closely with Inuit offenders: “I try to work within a spiritual base. I talk to them about the old ways of life; I used to live in a tent in the middle of nowhere and I’m proud of who I am. I also encourage them to speak their mother tongue.”

Offenders find that the arrival of Elders at the institution in 1997 changed their life for the better.

Common Goal Aims High

The Pathways initiative has been established in all CSC regions. The particular approach used may vary among the institutions, based on the guidance of the Elders on site, but the ultimate goal is the same: to help offenders heal so that they can become positive role models for other offenders, their families and their community. ♦

 

TABLE of CONTENTS
NEXT