Commissioner's Directive 001
Mission, Values and Ethics Framework of the Correctional Service of Canada

Authorities

• Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA),section 4
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act
• Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector
• Treasury Board Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment

Purpose

To support the integration of the Mission and of the Values and Ethics Framework into the daily activities of all persons who work at the Correctional Service of Canada or are involved in CSC’s activities

To promote an ethical organizational culture characterized by a diverse workforce, healthy workplaces and professional excellence

Application

Applies to all persons who work at CSC or are involved in CSC’s activities, in their interactions with offenders, colleagues, contractors, volunteers, partners, stakeholders, victims and the public

Table of Contents

• Mission, Values and Ethics Framework
• CSC Mission and Commitment
• CSC Values Statement
• Public Sector Values and Ethics
• CSC’s Commitment to Diversity
• Statements of Intent
• Responsibilities and Procedures
• National Advisory Committee on Ethics
• Support Services and Measures
• Annex A: Cross-References

Mission, Values and Ethics Framework

CSC Mission and Commitment

1. The Correctional Service of Canada’s (CSC) Values and Ethics Framework provides a common understanding of CSC’s shared beliefs and expected standards of behaviour in achieving its Mission.

Our Mission: The Correctional Service of Canada, as part of the criminal justice system and respecting the rule of law, contributes to public safety by actively encouraging and assisting offenders to become law-abiding citizens, while exercising reasonable, safe, secure and humane control.

Our Commitment: We, CSC employees and those working with us, recognize the importance of accomplishing our Mission within a framework of values, policy and legislation. We use shared, reciprocal values to guide our behaviour, decision making, and discretionary judgement. These shared values are useful in day-to-day work within CSC and with all partners and stakeholders. In living these values, we demonstrate our commitment to personal and professional integrity and to working together to shape a harassment free organizational culture aligned with these same values.

We are proud of our work and accomplishments, and of the spirit of collegiality and cooperation in which we achieve them. We believe in the human capacity for positive change and recognize that relationships are at the core of our work. Through our relationships, we contribute in diverse and significant ways to Changing Lives and Protecting Canadians and Victims.

CSC Values Statement

2. The CSC Values Statement guides behaviour, decision making and discretionary judgement in the Service. CSC staff are expected to demonstrate the following shared, reciprocal values in all of their interactions with offenders, colleagues (peers, subordinates and superiors), partners, stakeholders and the public:

Respect: Respectful behaviours honour the rationality and dignity of persons – their ability to choose their own path, within lawful order, to a meaningful life. A good test of respectful behaviour is treating others as we would like to be treated.

Fairness: A complex value in both theory and practice, fairness involves balancing conflicting interests, and exercising impartiality, objectivity, equality, and equity in interpersonal relationships. Similar to respect, a good test for fairness is to treat others as you would like to be treated.

Professionalism: Professionalism is a commitment to abide by high ethical standards of behaviour as well as relevant group standards, and to develop and apply specialized knowledge for the public good. Professionalism is anchored in a commitment to integrity – a commitment to uphold our values in even the most difficult circumstances.

Inclusiveness: Inclusiveness is a commitment to welcoming, proactively accommodating and learning from cultural, spiritual, and generational differences, individual challenges, and novel points of view.

Accountability: Accountability involves the notion of being willing and able to explain, answer to and justify the appropriateness of actions and decisions. Accountability is applicable to everyone within CSC. Accountability is also about accepting and ensuring responsibility – providing necessary support, feedback, and oversight.

Public Sector Values and Ethics

3. The CSC Values Statement aligns with, and supports the Public Sector values. Acceptance of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and adherence to the expected behaviours constitute a condition of employment for all CSC employees.

CSC’s Commitment to Diversity

4. CSC recognizes the Government of Canada’s commitment to the full implementation of Gender-Based Analysis Plus and strives to ensure that the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, programs and initiatives include the consideration of their differential impacts on diverse groups of people as included in the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) and other relevant legislation.
5. For clarity, the masculine has been used in the French text in CSC policy documents as the neutral gender, and will be interpreted as inclusive of gender identity and gender expression of federal corrections service providers, stakeholders and offenders.

Statements of Intent

6. CSC has adopted the following statements of intent to highlight its actions and commitment to inclusion among all groups with which it has contact.

Staff, stakeholders, contractors – CSC is committed to developing and maintaining a strong and diverse workforce that reflects the wider Canadian community we serve. We are dedicated to ensuring that the Service functions in an inclusive fashion, valuing the merits and strengths of all employees and partners. Through the application of diversity analysis, CSC commits to recognizing and responding to the differences that make us unique individuals.

Volunteers and visitors – CSC is also committed to diversity and inclusiveness amongst the several thousand volunteers and visitors who assist and support offenders with program delivery and various initiatives that support the successful reintegration of offenders.

Offenders – CSC is committed to its mandate, Mission and values and with public safety as its paramount goal, the Service strives to ensure that its offender policies, programs, practices and decisions respect and respond to diversity considerations relative to its complex offender population.

Victims – CSC is committed to its role in providing services to Canadians who are victims of crime. CSC will continue to improve information sharing and awareness building among victims and Canadian citizens. The Service strives to consider diversity in delivering victim services to Canadians.

Responsibilities and Procedures

7. All members of the Executive Committee will:
   1. promote ethical decision making
   2. promote and model values-based behaviour
   3. support healthy workplaces and professional excellence
   4. apply Gender-Based Analysis Plus to all management decisions.
8. All members of the Regional Management Committee will:
   1. promote ethical decision making
   2. promote and model values-based behaviour
   3. consider the ethical implications of their decisions
   4. develop and implement activities that support a robust ethical organizational culture.
9. The Assistant Commissioner, Policy, will:
   1. ensure that CSC policy is consistent with the CSC Values Statement and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, and supports diversity considerations
   2. support the consistent application of the Values and Ethics Framework throughout CSC.
10. The Assistant Commissioner, Human Resource Management, will:
    1. ensure that the CSC Code of Discipline and Standards of Professional Conduct are consistent with the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and the CSC Values Statement
    2. ensure, in collaboration with the Assistant Commissioner, Policy, that awareness and training on values and ethics are provided to CSC managers and staff
    3. ensure strategies are developed to attract and retain a staff complement that reflects the diversity of the Canadian population.
11. The Director General, Values, Integrity and Conflict Management:
    1. will ensure the ongoing development of programs to raise awareness, promote values-based behaviours and support ethical decision making in CSC
    2. will support all levels of the organization in fostering a productive workplace environment, particularly with respect to conflict management
    3. is the Commissioner’s designated Senior Officer responsible to promote integrity within CSC’s workplace by giving employees the opportunity to disclose wrongdoing as defined in the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act through CSC’s Office of Internal Disclosure.
12. Director Generals at National Headquarters and all Assistant Deputy Commissioners will support the Director General, Values, Integrity and Conflict Management, through visible ethical leadership in the implementation of programs and initiatives to promote values and ethics in their respective region/branch.
13. All executives, managers and supervisors will:
    1. provide direction and leadership on the integration of values and ethics into the everyday functioning of their area of responsibility
    2. use the CSC Values Statement as a guidepost in their behaviour, decision making and discretionary judgement
    3. promote healthy workplaces through values-based behaviours
    4. strive to ensure the application of Gender-Based Analysis Plus to all new or modified initiatives to ensure respect for diversity
    5. provide employees with access to the following and engage them in a dialogue about:
       1. CSC Values Statement
       2. Standards of Professional Conduct and Code of Discipline
       3. Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector
       4. Treasury Board Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment
    6. act, in regular circumstances, as first line of communication for staff bringing forward concerns and complaints that relate to values and ethics
    7. respond in a timely manner to concerns or complaints related to values and ethics.
14. All staff will:
    1. promote healthy, inclusive and respectful workplaces through their values-based behaviours
    2. use the CSC Values Statement as a guidepost in their behaviour, decision making and discretionary judgement
    3. ensure conflict is resolved at the lowest level and consider the use of the services of the Office of Conflict Management when required to contribute to workplace wellness
    4. bring forward instances of inappropriate/unethical behaviour and/or wrongdoing by any CSC staff member, contractor, stakeholder or volunteer, including management, to either their supervisor, CSC's Office of Internal Disclosure or the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.
15. All contractors, stakeholders and volunteers will:
    1. promote healthy, inclusive and respectful workplaces through their values-based behaviours
    2. use the CSC Values Statement as a guidepost in their behaviour, decision making and discretionary judgement
    3. ensure conflict is resolved at the lowest level and consider the use of the services of the Office of Conflict Management when required to contribute to workplace wellness
    4. bring forward instances of inappropriate/unethical behaviour and/or wrongdoing by any CSC staff member, contractor, stakeholder or volunteer, including management, to the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.
16. The performance management and performance evaluation programs will be used to assess the integration of the CSC Values Statement and all employees’ contributions to a healthy and ethically sound workplace.

National Advisory Committee on Ethics

17. CSC’s National Advisory Committee on Ethics will provide advice and guidance to:
    1. the Commissioner on:
       1. issues related to organizational values and ethics, including awareness building
       2. significant matters where a particular action, policy or direction might conflict with CSC’s Values and Ethics Framework
    2. the Regional Management Committees on issues related to values and ethics.

Support Services and Measures

18. CSC’s Office of Values and Ethics will:
    1. promote a values-based workplace by increasing awareness of the CSC Values Statement, the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and the Treasury Board Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment through awareness activities and consultations
    2. provide information and guidance to employees on conflict of interest and political activities, including candidacy
    3. promote and support ongoing dialogue concerning values and ethics within the correctional environment.
19. CSC’s Office of Conflict Management will provide a range of services to assist the organization in preventing and better managing or resolving conflicts in the workplace:
    1. consultation
    2. facilitated discussion
    3. mediation
    4. conflict management coaching
    5. group processes
    6. training and awareness sessions.
20. CSC’s Office of Internal Disclosure will:
    1. provide information to employees about making disclosures related to wrongdoing in the workplace, as defined by the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, and other possible redress mechanisms
    2. receive disclosures from employees, assess the information and follow-up as required
    3. protect the identity of employees involved in the disclosure process, including those making disclosures, witnesses and those alleged to be responsible for wrongdoings, and ensure the confidentiality of the information collected
    4. convene investigations, as appropriate, in relation to allegations of wrongdoing in the workplace
    5. report publicly all founded cases of wrongdoing.
21. The National Employment Equity and Diversity Committee will provide the diversity lens to CSC’s policy, programs and human resources to promote an inclusive workplace.

Interim Commissioner,

Original signed by:

Anne Kelly

Annex A
Cross-References

CD 060 – Code of Discipline

CSC Guide for Reporting Wrongdoing

Action Plan on Gender-Based Analysis (2016-2020) – published by Status of Women Canada

Treasury Board Policy on Harassment Prevention and Resolution

Date modified:

2018-04-05