Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard: Minister, thank you for being here. Minister LeBlanc, in June of this year, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights wrote to you to express our concern with the inadequacy of the government response to the committee’s report entitled, Human Rights of Federally-Sentenced Persons.

The response did not take seriously nor address the various recommendations of the committee, which is particularly troubling considering the content, degree and severity of rights breaches witnessed and heard by the committee while completing the study. We continue to witness and hear this when we visit prisons.

Minister LeBlanc, when can we expect a fulsome response to the committee report clearly indicating the government’s position on each recommendation and providing an explanation and a timeline for action?

Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs: Senator, thank you for raising an important issue around the rights of those federally incarcerated inmates. Like your colleagues on the committee and, I hope, like a number of parliamentarians, I have had the opportunity to visit these federal correctional facilities. I work with Correctional Service Canada on important issues around ensuring that the rights of those serving time in federal prisons are respected.

There is a series of measures in place. We have obviously taken careful note of the work done by the committee of this place. In terms of the government response, there is a tradition or a longstanding practice in some cases of grouping the federal response around a series of recommendations. Some of the recommendations and some of the evidence in the committee report touched on a number of different departments.

I can assure you that Correctional Service Canada, for which I have responsibility, absolutely treats the report, its recommendations, the work done and the evidence received from the witnesses who went before the committee with the utmost seriousness. We’re always looking at ways to ensure that the rights of those serving in federal correctional facilities are respected. Your report will absolutely be part of that ongoing work.

Senator Bernard: Respectfully, minister, we’re not seeing evidence of the recommendations being taken very seriously. We can certainly share with you any number of requests that we get from prisoners about their rights continually being violated. The committee is very happy to meet with you and others to further review the recommendations and how we can address those very serious concerns.

Mr. LeBlanc: Senator, thank you for the offer to do that. I would be happy to accept an opportunity to meet with you and colleagues on the committee to talk about the report.

I would be happy to bring the Commissioner of Correctional Service Canada or other officials who should also be part of that conversation.

I entirely share the concern expressed in the report, and, as I said, it was expressed by a number of the witnesses whom we saw appearing before your committee. We can always continue to do that important work as a government.

Speaking for Correctional Service Canada, I have confidence in the work that they do. I have seen the difficult work that these women and men do, but I also share your sense of their obligation to ensure that the rights of the persons in their care are respected as well.