A New Vision and Direction for the Correctional Service of Canada

Canadians deserve, and public safety depends on, an efficient and effective federal correctional service.

The recent report of the Independent Review Panel provided the Government and Canadians with a comprehensive assessment of the realities and challenges currently facing the Service. After spending several months travelling across the country to engage CSC, its partners, other stakeholders and volunteers in discussions about the state of federal corrections in Canada and what is needed, the panel submitted its report to our Minister. As you know, this report was released in December 2007.

Many of our managers, specialists, union representatives and employees had a good opportunity to engage with the panel. As a result, I believe the report reflects a wise integration of our expert views and experience, as well as the important views of others.

Above all else, the report defines a clear direction for the future. All 109 recommendations make enormous sense to me, and there is no doubt in my mind that implementing them will help us improve the results we deliver on behalf of Canadians. The exciting challenge before us is to effectively pull together as a team around this new agenda so we can move forward as quickly as possible.

Earlier this year, in Budget 2008, the Government of Canada endorsed this new vision and provided us with targeted investments “to ensure that the federal correctional system is firmly on track to respond comprehensively to the recommendations of the independent panel.”

Needless to say, this is good news for CSC. We now have a historic opportunity to strengthen our contribution to public safety by directing our energy and efforts towards building early traction and momentum around this agenda. So we all need to focus now on working together to deliver the critical first phase of implementation.

This special edition of Let’s Talk goes to the heart of the Review Panel’s recommendations, and I am confident that it will motivate all of you to identify ways we can work together to support this new transformative agenda. I would like to encourage you to read this special issue from cover to cover, as it will help you to develop a greater understanding of where we are heading and what we need to do to get there.

In addition, I would strongly urge you, if you have not done so already, to read the Review Panel’s Report in full (available on the Public Safety Canada Web site through a link on the CSC Web site: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca). We are entering into an exciting period for CSC, and it is crucial that all of you have a chance to provide input and get involved in changing and strengthening our current system.

As we move ahead, you may find yourself feeling uneasy about altering the way you are used to doing things. If you are, I hope that after reading this edition you will be more comfortable about this exciting and important transformation because it is about our future and we do not want to leave you behind!

The bottom line is that we have before us a unique opportunity to effect positive changes and, if we work together the right way, this will be an invigorating and productive journey for all of us.

Keith Coulter
Commissioner