“The government cares about keeping Canadians safe. This bill says offenders should get treatment and job programs in prison, to help them not reoffend when they get out. The parole board will check if they did the programs. It also says trafficking fentanyl is really bad. We agree with the ideas in this bill. We will look at it more in committee and make it better. Parole is a slow process with many steps. Victims can give their views. Almost all offenders on parole don't commit new crimes.”
Official Hansard
Madam Speaker, before I start, I want to thank my colleague from Kitchener Centre for standing up and having the tremendous strength she had today to share her story. Far too often in my 47 years, I have had to say goodbye to many family members way too early. They never were able to climb the mountain that she was able to climb, but I am able to share her story now to say that people can climb that mountain and be in this hallowed hall one day. I thank the member again. I am thankful for this opportunity to speak to the private member's bill, Bill C-240, the offender rehabilitation act. This bill proposes amendments to the Criminal Code, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, CCRA, and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. More specifically, the proposed amendments would allow a court to prescribe measures that an offender must undertake during their sentence, such as participation in treatment or employment programs; require that such measures be incorporated into an offender's correctional plan and that progress be considered by the Parole Board of Canada, PBC, when making sentencing decisions; and treat large-scale fentanyl trafficking as an aggravating sentencing factor. Our primary responsibility as a government is to keep all Canadians safe. This responsibility requires us to carefully review legislation, assess its implications and ensure that it upholds the values that Canadians expect of us. We support the principles of Bill C-240 and recognize that it requires further study at the committee stage to address certain challenges present in its current form. We look forward to working together to rectify these issues and ensure the safety of all Canadians. With this in mind, I will use my time to talk about how Correctional Service Canada, CSC, helps people in custody achieve their substance use goals, as well as how parole works in Canada. Substance use is a complex health issue that requires a balanced approach focused on prevention, treatment and harm reduction. Through its national drugs and substances strategy, CSC takes a health-centred approach to substance abuse, recognizing that addressing problematic use is essential to rehabilitation and public safety. CSC provides screening, evidence-based treatment and peer-supported recovery services. This includes substance use treatment delivered by health care professionals, such as opioid agonist treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. CSC also implements harm reduction measures to reduce the risk of overdose and the spread of infectious diseases while supporting access to care. CSC further supports recovery through peer-based programs, which use lived experience to promote engagement, recovery and successful reintegration into the community. The majority of offenders are serving fixed-length sentences. This means that they will eventually be released back into the community once their sentence ends. Let me, for a moment, explain how parole works in Canada. Parole contributes to public safety by helping offenders reintegrate into society as law-abiding citizens through a gradual, controlled and supported release with conditions. Parole decisions are made by the Parole Board of Canada, an independent administrative tribunal that operates at arm's length from government and is free from outside influence. The process can take place through an in-office file review or a face-to-face hearing with the offender and their parole officer. When hearings are held in person, observers may request to attend remotely. Board members consider all relevant and available information in assessing an offender's risk to reoffend. Decisions are based on a thorough risk assessment of all relevant and available information, which includes information from police, courts, Crown attorneys, mental health professionals, correctional authorities, private agencies, indigenous communities and victims of crime. We must not forget that an offender on parole is not completely free. They continue to be monitored and supported by a parole officer from Correctional Service Canada. The Parole Board of Canada may revoke an offender's release not only if they breach their conditions, but also if their risk is assessed as having become unacceptable. I want to reassure all Canadians that public safety is the primary consideration in all conditional release decisions. I would also like to share some information about recidivism. Over the last 10 years, 93% of offenders granted day or full parole by the Parole Board of Canada have not committed a new offence while on parole and 99% of offenders have not committed a new violent offence while on parole. I would also like to emphasize that victims have a role to play in the parole process as well. They may register to receive information from the Parole Board of Canada and Correctional Service Canada. Victims may also provide information to Correctional Service Canada and/or to the Parole Board of Canada at any time throughout the offender's sentence, for consideration when making decisions related to the offender's security level, evaluations or the offender's programming needs and overall risk to re-offend. This includes by board members when deciding whether the offender should be released and the conditions they impose. Victims can choose to provide a victim statement describing the impact the crime continues to have on them, express their views about the possible conditional release of the offender and ask Correctional Service Canada to consider their area of residence when making a release plan. Victims can also request special conditions for the Parole Board to consider, for example, preventing the offender from communicating with them or their family and from going to any specified place. Further, victims may attend the offender's parole hearing as observers and can read their written statement to board members, outlining the continuing impact the offence has had on them, as well as any risk or safety concerns the offender may pose. The national office for victims, through Public Safety Canada, provides an essential resource for victims of federal offenders. It is committed to empowering victims of federal offenders through information. Victims of crime can use this information to understand how authorities determine eligibility dates for different types of release. Through the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, the Government of Canada also provides the following rights to victims of crime: the right to information, the right to protection, the right to participation and the right to seek restitution. Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, victims of crime can receive information on progress made by inmates towards meeting the objectives of their correctional plan. The government will always take the protection of these rights seriously. We will continue to ensure the safety of all Canadians. As we support sending the bill to committee, we hope to further the progress, efforts and values I discussed today by strengthening this piece of legislation and ensuring a safer Canada for all Canadians.
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