Direction issued to Correctional Service of Canada on Transfer of Offenders

Ottawa – Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, issued a Ministerial Direction to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) to ensure victims’ rights are considered from the beginning and strengthen the way it shares information with victims and the government. This direction will improve notification to victims surrounding security classification and transfers of offenders, and establish a formal process to notify the Minister of Public Safety. In accordance with the recommendations made by the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime in 2019, CSC is directed to:

• Gather and consider victim information at the outset of the decision-making process or as soon as a voluntary transfer request is being considered for support by CSC.
• Use their Victim Notification flag system when they begin considering a transfer application that may be supported by CSC to allow victim services officers to proactively collect input from victims in advance of the Assessment for Decision.
• Make changes to policy to require all CSC staff to always consider whether any victims live near the institution to which the transfer is being considered, and wherever possible, transfer the offender to another institution.

The Ministerial Direction will also require that the Minister of Public Safety receive notification regarding security classification and transfers of high-profile offenders. These are offenders whose offences elicited or have a potential to elicit significant public interest. The transfer of offenders can have a very profound impact not only on victims, but the broader public. It is important that Canadians have confidence in their criminal justice system, including decisions made by CSC.