Commissioner's update for correctional employees: May 27, 2024

In our line of work, our staff can witness, or unfortunately, be subject to assaults in the workplace. Recently, there have been a few assaults among inmates, which have been discussed in the media. I wanted to thank our staff who respond to these incidents on an ongoing basis – your continued professionalism and resilience in these situations is remarkable. The work our frontline staff do can be incredibly challenging and I appreciate your diligence, interventions and responsiveness.

I know these events can affect us in different ways. Please remember that there are resources available if you need to work through a situation or seek help. If you wish to speak to someone, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) referral agents are available to listen and help you find appropriate, helpful resources to support you. EAP is available not only to all employees, but also to eligible family members 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• EAP referral agents (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
• Employee Assistance Program (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)

Submit Your Nominations for the Annual Emerson Douyon Award

Nominations are now open for the annual Emerson Douyon Multiculturalism Award. The award is presented to a CSC employee or community partner who significantly contributes to the promotion of multiculturalism and diversity within CSC or the community. Employees, volunteers, individuals on contract or summer students and members of the public are eligible. If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their efforts, I encourage you to nominate them for this important award.

Learn more about the Emerson Douyon Award.

Citizen Advisory Committees: National Chairperson Changes and 2021 to 2022 Annual Report

On April 27, I met with our National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC). Discussions were productive, focusing on several priorities of the organization and interests of the CAC. I had the opportunity to meet with the new Chairperson of the NEC, Richard Veldhoen, who assumed the role as of April 1. I enjoyed meeting all of the regional chairs and look forward to working with Richard for the next 2 years.

The role of Chairperson was previously held by Ingrid Schmidt, from April 2022 to March 2024. I deeply appreciate Ingrid's contributions to CSC and her dedicated leadership, which has significantly advanced a number of areas of focus for the CAC. The CACs play a pivotal role in enhancing community relations and raising public awareness about corrections. They are a key part of our commitment to demonstrate openness, transparency, and accountability. To learn more about some of the CAC achievements in 2022 to 2023, we encourage you to refer to their Annual Report, which was led by Ingrid during her second year as Chairperson.

• 2022 to 2023 Citizen Advisory Committees Annual Report - Canada.ca

Major Planned Outage on Saturday, June 1

On Saturday, June 1, all applications and services provided by our main data centre will be unavailable, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EDT). This outage will allow Shared Services Canada to improve the performance of our network.

Please remember to take the time to make alternate plans if you need to continue to operate during this time.

Celebrating Jeannine Richer

In closing, I want to leave you with an inspiring story. Last week, we celebrated the 90th birthday of one of our Commissionaires at NHQ, Jeannine Richer, a familiar and friendly face to so many of you who work in Ottawa. Still, at 90 years young, Ms. Richer shows up every day, serves with the highest level of integrity and professionalism, and always has a smile.

To add to the celebrations, I, along with the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, and senior CSC staff were able to present her with a special award to celebrate her distinguished career.

Ms. Richer has been and continues to be an inspiration to me and so many. We were proud to celebrate her, thank her for her hard work and dedication, and wish her many more joyful moments with us. She said she wants to work for ten more years!

We all have inspiring people and stories around us. Think about moments and people that make a difference in our workplace and recognize them.

Thank you to everyone for the hard work that you do each and every day, in service to Canadians.