2017-2018 Citizen Advisory Committees Annual Report
ISSN: 1928-8727
Annual Achievement Report 2017-2018
Message from outgoing NEC Chairperson, Lori Ebbesen, Ed.D.
As a self-professed admirer and collector of rocks, I appreciate their majesty and strength, as well as their symbolism. An Inukshuk is a particularly powerful traditional directional marker used by peoples of the Arctic region to designate a path and may signify a change of direction. In 2017-2018, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC) and our host agency, Correctional Service Canada (CSC), kept to the path of ensuring CAC can flourish and also made distinct changes in direction to do so. We focused on the ‘big rocks’ that permit CAC to be vibrant and sustainable:
- Advancing strategic priorities to focus CAC action on important, timely correctional issues
- Strengthening the policy framework for CAC
- Mobilizing the entire CAC network to accomplish mandated roles of observe, liaise and advise
NEC met five times this fiscal year: four times by videoconference (August, September & December 2017; February 2018) and once in- person in Ottawa (March 2018).
Special thanks to the Assistant Commissioner, Communications & Citizen Engagement (ACCE; Nick Fabiano / Amy Jarrette) for endorsing new directions. Thanks to Citizen Engagement at NHQ (NEC’s CSC Co-chairperson, David Molzahn, Patrice Miron, Suzanne Leclerc and Donat Bilomba) for their strategic and administrative support. Kudos to our volunteer and CSC members (from East to West):
- Atlantic Region – Peggy Joiner (CAC) & Sherry Jackson-Smith (CSC)
- Quebec Region – Nicole Gareau (CAC) & Jean-François Cusson (CSC)
- Ontario Region – Sharon Mitchell / Mark Jowett (CAC) & Dianne Anthony (CSC)
- Prairie Region – Robert Goluch / Michael Swait (CAC) & Nell Hales (CSC)
- Pacific Region – Chelsea Morrey (CAC; NEC Vice-Chairperson) & Tamara Huber (CSC)
Advancing strategic priorities in 2017-2018
Two key nationally-led activities this fiscal addressed the three CAC strategic priority areas set out in the NEC-CAC strategic plan for 2016- 2018: EMPLOYMENT, MENTAL HEALTH, and AGING OFFENDERS.
- CAC Kickstarter: A prominent tactic implemented by Citizen Engagement in 2017-2018 was ‘CAC Kickstarter.’ This initiative was pitched by NEC in July 2016 akin to the Commissioner’s ‘Headstarter’ and PRA ‘Fedstarter’ and designed to support CAC activities related to the three strategic priorities. CAC Kickstarter offered two streams: Stream 1 ($5000 for national activities; two or more regions) and Stream 2 ($1000 per each of five regions for local activities). Kickstarter was announced in January 2018 with applications due by February 28. Fifteen Kickstarter applications were submitted: two in Stream 1 (national activities) and 13 in Stream 2 (local activities). The breakdown for Stream 2 applications by region was: ATL 3; QUE 1; ONT 2; PRA 3; and PAC 4. A stellar review committee of CSC and CAC representatives with expertise in each of the three strategic priorities reviewed applications according to review guidelines and a scoring grid. An expected but very welcome unintended consequence of the review was having several of the proposed projects supported outside of the available Kickstarter funding because they aligned with core CSC business. CSC Health Services supported one of the two national projects, CORCAN supported four of the local projects, and Citizen Engagement supported a fifth local project. This demonstration of widespread CSC support leveraged the equivalent of double the Kickstarter funds and resulted in even more purposive CAC action through 12 of 15 projects implemented.
- CORCAN regional calls: At the invitation of the A/CEO of CORCAN, Kelly Hartle, NEC co-hosted a first-ever series of five regional calls to generate CAC dialogue specific to our employment priority. CORCAN representatives discussed new national- level plans and developments and highlighted region-specific opportunities for CAC to encourage offender employability and employment.
Strengthening the policy framework for CAC
Further to the approval of the ACCE (Nick Fabiano), NEC and CSC Citizen Engagement launched an unparalleled collaborative, multi-step consultation review process to strengthen and enhance CD 023, the policy framework underpinning our important CAC role. NEC served as an advisory group throughout the process. For the first-time in CSC policy review, a representative of Policy participated from the outset, adding tremendous value regarding terminology and consistency with other CSC policies. The CD review process consisted of many iterative steps:
- Preparing a discussion paper reviewed by NEC about lingering CD 023 policy issues resulting in questions and/or inconsistencies in CAC practice
- Striking a CD 023 Working Group to propose policy solutions to ensure CAC is vibrant and sustainable, comprised of five CAC representatives (one per region), five CSC representatives (one per region and including one RACES and one Regional Coordinator), one CSC-NHQ policy representative and, from NEC, Chairperson & two NHQ Citizen Engagement representatives
- Recruiting Working Group members and selecting 10 individuals from among the 18 expressions of interest
- Holding Working Group teleconference meetings every second week from late November 2017 to the final meeting on April 6, 2018
- Distributing meeting summaries and draft CD 023 text between meetings
- Reconciling CD 023 (CAC) and CD 024 (Volunteer Management)
- Integrating the Volunteer Canada framework for volunteer management
- Consulting throughout with RDCs, RACES, NEC, CACs, and CSC Regional Management Committees, as possible, regarding policy revisions
The CD 023 review resulted in several exciting new policy directions to ensure CAC is vibrant and sustainable: a new CAC volunteer management framework led by CSC, a co-chair model at all levels of CAC, and flexibility in CAC configuration (numbers and operational units) to name a few. The existing GL 023-1 was renamed ‘CAC Integrity Standards’ and revised to include the Code of Conduct approved by NEC in June 2016 alongside existing conflict of interest standards. A second, new guideline titled ‘CAC Governance Framework’
addressed some long-standing CAC process areas fraught with differing interpretations (e.g. communication patterns, succession planning, and roles and responsibilities) and added practices typical of healthy, performing committees.
Mobilizing the entire CAC network in 2017-2018
NEC and Citizen Engagement continued to demonstrate their shared commitment to a platform for CAC success by advancing several initiatives to mobilize the full CAC network. As espoused in the Volunteer Canada framework and proposed in the revised CD 023, Citizen Engagement took on increasing responsibilities for volunteer engagement activities, allowing CAC to focus on strategic ‘issue’ priorities.
| CAC engagement | Actions / Accomplishments |
|---|---|
| CAC Communications | -Approved and proceeded with implementing the CAC Communications Plan tempered by the enduring stumbling block of CSC not being able to reach all CAC members |
| CAC Learning & Development | -Announced new national-level webinars for CAC orientation based on five updated core modules; implementation was slated for beginning Fall 2017 but, disappointedly, these did not come to fruition -Implemented the second series of ‘Fireside Chats’ (informal conversations between all CAC members and leaders in Canadian corrections akin to the playbook of President Franklin D. Roosevelt): convened second chats with the Commissioner (January 15, 2018) and the Correctional Investigator of Canada (March 22, 2018) and the first-ever with Senator Kim Pate (appropriately held on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2018) -Launched more national CAC learning sessions (recorded and posted on You Tube): (1) ‘Media Awareness’ in July 2017; (2) a Fall 2017 4-part series on victim-related services and stories of experience (legislative framework for victim’s rights and services featuring Sue O’Sullivan and Valerie Oles from the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime; CSC and Parole Board of Canada (PBC) services featuring Christina Guest and Elizabeth Rothwell respectively; victim stories of experience; principles of restorative justice); and (3) PTSD among correctional officers and related CSC initiatives featuring renowned researchers Dr. Nicholas Carleton (University of Regina) and Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli (Memorial University) (April 2018) |
| Consultations | -Hosted a record 16 CD consultation teleconferences, 14 of which invited all CAC members and other advisory group members to engage directly with policy-makers, learn about new policy developments and provide our community perspective; one was exclusively for our National Sub-Committee on Women Offenders (CD 578, Intensive Strategy in Women Institutions); and one invited CAC members to special teleconferences about the revised CD 023 (English on March 9, 2018 ~50 participants; French on March 12, 15 participants – our highest attendance in any consultation process). Policies discussed included: CSC mission, values and ethics framework, media relations, integration of gender identity & expression into multiple CSC policies, workplace accommodation, inmate movement, administrative segregation, preservation of crime scenes and evidence, older persons in custody, guide for family and friends in the event of death in custody, and victim engagement. -In response to feedback, Citizen Engagement and Policy launched a new ‘National Policy Consultation Team’ comprised of representatives of CAC and other stakeholders groups (e.g. NEAC, REAC, and NAACJ – National Associations Active in Criminal Justice) keenly interested in policy reviews |
| Observe, Liaise & Advise | Observe/ Liaise -EXCOM: the Commissioner (or designate) presented an address at each NEC meeting; NEC Chairperson engaged with EXCOM (March 2018); monthly telephone calls between NEC Chairperson & ACCE initiated last fiscal continued this year -NEC continued to work closely with the Women Offender Sector, re: the National CAC Sub-Committee on Women Offenders inclusive of CAC representatives from institutional and community settings from all five regions plus the National Volunteer Association (NVA), Interfaith Committee and National Ethnocultural Advisory Committee (NEAC); this Sub-Committee met twice this fiscal and continued to focus on employability and employment -By design, the James A. Murphy CAC Award of Excellence Review Committee afforded a liaise opportunity: 2017 members were Jim Murphy (Chair & Award namesake), Robert Goluch (2015 Award recipient & former Regional Chair/ NEC member from the Prairie Region), Ron Joiner (former NEC Chairperson from the Atlantic Region), and Liz Smith (CSC, A/Director General, Offender Programs and Reintegration Branch) -Similarly, the CAC Kickstarter review process fostered connections with leaders in each of the strategic priorities: Amy Jarrette (A/ACCE; Chair), Kelly Hartle (A/CEO, CORCAN-Employment), Jennifer Wheatley (AC Health Services- Mental Health), Henry de Souza (Director General, Clinical Services and Public Health, Health Services Sector-Aging Offenders), and William DiGuistini (former NEC member from Pacific) -CD consultations and learning sessions facilitated contact with an array of CSC sectors and representatives from external justice partners -Over the course of the year, the NEC Chairperson liaised by phone, videoconference or in-person with all five regional CACs at their regional meetings -At its meeting in March 2018, NEC welcomed Susan Haines, Executive Director, National Associations Active in Criminal Justice (NAACJ), Anita Desai, Executive Director, St. Leonard’s Society of Canada and, a familiar face, Jim Murphy (our CAC Award of Excellence namesake), a Board member with St. Leonard’s, to discuss how the NAACJ network and CAC network intersect -Thanks to Elizabeth Vitek, Warden and the women at Grand Valley Institution, hand-painted rocks were provided as thank you gifts to NEC meeting participants in March 2018 |
| Advise -Pursuant to NEC’s January 2016 stance endorsing CAC participation on an Outside Review Board (ORB), NEC Chairperson and Ontario Regional Chairperson continued to work closely with Offender Redress resulting in new ORB training materials for all ORB members -NEC accepted an invitation from the Senior Deputy Commissioner to participate in the National Long-Term Segregation Review Committee meetings held every second week -NEC followed up on concerns brought forward from the Quebec Region about the national catalogue supplier, items available, and the tender process | |
| NEC & CAC Governance | -The CD 023 review predominated governance actions in 2017-2018 |
Concerted NEC, CAC and CSC actions in 2017-2018 focused on ‘big rocks’ influential for allowing CAC to flourish: advancing strategic priorities of NEC-CAC, strengthening the policy framework for CAC, and mobilizing the full and talented CAC network. The CD 023 policy review implemented an unprecedented collaborative process, challenged status quo and presented novel directions for CAC and CSC to catalyze CAC beyond a state of stalled progress. New initiatives like CAC Kickstarter and the progressive directions proposed in the revised CD 023 stretched comfort zones and exemplified possible new ways of working. All in all, it was a busy and progressive year, thanks to the collaboration and innovation of CSC representatives and CAC members.
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