ISSN 2371-6215
The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by
the Minister of Public Safety, 2023
Catalogue No: JA2-4E-PDF
Table of Contents
From the Correctional Investigator
Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
Internal services: planned results
Planned spending and human resources
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
Supporting information on the program inventory
Supplementary information tables
Organizational contact information
From the Correctional Investigator
I am delighted to have been reappointed Correctional Investigator for a term of five years, effective January 1, 2023.
I want to acknowledge the support, leadership and professionalism of my whole team. It is truly a privilege to work with such a talented group of investigators, analysts, advisors, business services professionals, early resolution officers, executives and senior managers.
Looking forward, I renew my commitment to shine a light on the issues and conditions facing federally sentenced persons with my goal of ensuring that the Correctional Service of Canada upholds the highest standards of human rights and dignified treatment. As an Office, over the next three years we look to implement business plans and priorities consistent with the four pillars of our Strategic Plan:
- Create an environment where the OCI is an employer of choice;
- Ensure an organizational structure that is aligned with Office priorities;
- Improve systemic investigation and prison inspection capacity; and,
- Develop a Data Management strategy that more effectively and meaningfully measures and reports on the Office’s influence and impact.
In June 2023, the Office will celebrate its 50th Anniversary serving as an independent prison oversight body. I look forward to reporting on Office activities and results in what promises to be a very memorable year.
Ivan Zinger J.D., Ph.D.
Correctional Investigator
Plans at a glance
The Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) is a micro agency with one program and its resources are dedicated to meeting its operational/legislative requirements. The organization’s salary budget of $4.67M is non-discretionary. The operating and maintenance budget reflected in the 2023-24 Main Estimates is $898K. Of that amount, $575K or 64% is earmarked annually for the following non-discretionary operational obligations such as ATIP consultant, memoranda of understanding with Public Safety for the delivery of internal services; and investigative mandated travel. Once these fixed costs are accounted for, the organization is left with an operating and maintenance budget of $323K. This “discretionary” amount is required to, amongst other things, support the Office with equipment, contracting, training, supplies, and translation services.
Over the last three fiscal years, the Office has adjusted its spending to address pandemic management requirements. For 2023-24, the Office of the Correctional Investigator planning initiatives will continue to be revised in response to the continued challenges of operational travel as well as those faced in awarding contracts for required experts.
The Office of the Correctional Investigator’s involvement in a number of criminal justice priorities identified and advanced by the government include commitments to address the over- representation of Indigenous, Black and other racialized individuals in corrections. In addition to this work, we will continue to monitor, investigate, and report on systemic and/or thematic issues concerning women’s corrections, the needs of gender-diverse individuals, progress on commitments made on sexual coercion and violence in federal prisons, among other issues.
For more information on Office of the Correctional Investigator’s plans, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this plan.
Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
This section contains information on the department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.
Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections
Description
The Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) conducts investigations of complaints directed to the Correctional Service of Canada by federally incarcerated individuals or supervised offenders in the community, and carries out systemic investigations of issues that affect large numbers of federal offenders. The OCI reviews all Correctional Services of Canada investigations of deaths in custody and serious bodily injury cases to ensure Correctional Service of Canada compliance with law and policy. The Office also conducts reviews of all use of force incidents. The OCI’s investigative activities support a safe, lawful and humane federal correctional practice to ensure that federal correctional decisions and practices are in compliance with human rights, law, policy, and are fair.
Planning highlights
In 2023-24, as is the case every year, the investigative complement will be at the forefront of responding to issues and concerns that affect offenders and require resolution. Our expectation is that this involvement will result in positive outcomes for individual offenders as well as the correctional system writ large through the completion of systemic reviews and investigations.
The Office will also be implementing a three-year strategic plan to:
- Adjust the organizational structure to improve effectiveness and resilience.
- Improve the organizational capacity in planning and conducting systemic investigations and inspections.
- Optimize information collection to better identify trends, the evolution of specific issues and to better report on our successes.
- Strengthen the organization’s position as employer of choice.
Gender-based analysis plus
Among the priorities of the Office of the Correctional Investigator are the needs of unique populations whose vulnerabilities exist at the intersection of their incarcerated status and their gender (e.g., women, gender diverse individuals), race/ethnicity (e.g., Indigenous individuals), age (e.g., aging/elderly), mental and physical health status (e.g., individuals with mental or physical health issues), among other characteristics.
In the 2021-22 Annual Report, the Office publicly reported on a large-scale systemic investigation entitled, Update on the Experiences of Black Persons in Canadian Federal Penitentiaries. This year, the Office will continue to monitor issues affecting incarcerated Black individuals and track progress on recommendations issued to the Correctional Service of Canada by way of this investigation.
Given the increasing overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples under federal custody, it is essential that as an oversight agency the Office’s attention remains focused on the problems faced by Indigenous people under federal supervision; therefore, the Office will continue its reviews examining Indigenous corrections. Furthermore, the Office will continue to closely monitor progress on recommendations issued to the CSC, in particular, recommendations made to the Service regarding Indigenous women who now account for half of all federally-incarcerated women.
Additionally, with the promulgation of new policies in 2022 regarding the management of gender diverse persons under federal sentence, the Office will continue to investigate and monitor the experiences of gender diverse individuals and the implementation of the new directives.
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy sets out the Government of Canada’s sustainable development goals and targets, and outlines the implementation strategies and short-term milestones for achieving them. This strategy directly supports the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda . The Government of Canada has committed to accelerate progress on the 17 SDGs in Canada and contribute to their achievement internationally.
The work of the Office will continue to support overall progress on the SDGs in the following areas:
- Reduce inequalities ( SDG 10 ) through systemic investigations and providing data on the representation of, as well as discrepancies in outcomes for, diverse populations of federally sentenced people, in support of the government’s efforts to address systemic discrimination. As noted above, the Office will:
- continue to monitor issues affecting incarcerated Black individuals and track progress on recommendations issued to the Correctional Service Canada;
- remain focused on the problems faced by Indigenous people under federal supervision and continue to monitor progress on past recommendations issued to Correctional Service Canada; and,
- continue to investigate and monitor the experiences of gender diverse individuals in the federal correctional system and the implementation of new relevant directives.
Through these efforts, the Office will also support the horizontal crosscutting objectives outlined in Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan for the 2030 Agenda , including:
- Supporting the core principle of leaving no one behind by advancing gender equality, empowering women and girls, and advancing diversity and inclusion.
- Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples by working in partnership to support Indigenous voices, views, and traditional knowledge and highlighting the accomplishments of Indigenous partners.
Innovation
As a micro agency with limited resources, the Office of the Correctional Investigator has not planned any experimentations or innovations for fiscal year 2023-24 due to capacity and operational pressures.
Key risk(s)
There are four ongoing operational risks. First, the Office’s mandate is national in scope and the sheer number and complexity of issues require flexibility and constant re-evaluation of priorities. The client base and network of stakeholders are dispersed in a large number of geographically remote locations throughout Canada. Reaching out and meeting our client base continues to be a challenge as the pandemic unfolds. Moreover, the Office is implementing inspection-type institutional visits in order to improve the efficiency of its interventions when in-person visits are feasible.
Secondly, the very nature of essential information exchanges between the Office of the Correctional Investigator, incarcerated individuals and the Correctional Service of Canada requires both secure and confidential means of communications. Remote work has generated serious challenges for the Office in order to maintain essential services. Investments in software and technology allowing secure and confidential means of communications as well as collaborative tools will be essential.
Thirdly, the resolution of complaints in an environment traditionally closed to public scrutiny requires that the Office not only be, but be seen to be independent of the Correctional Service of Canada, Public Safety, and the Minister. The Office is continuing to review the corporate ties it has with some of these organizations with a view of strengthening its processes to support its independence.
Finally, there is a risk that that, as a small agency, the Office will not be able to meet all of its reporting obligations. Although efforts were made during the last fiscal year and an alternative reporting approach was proposed, a big reporting burden is still present for micro agencies such as the Office of the Correctional Investigator. The Office continues to participate in the Heads of Federal Agencies Steering Committee that aims to identify meaningful reductions in overall reporting obligations.
Planned results for Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections
The following table shows, for Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.
Departmental result | Departmental result indicator | Target | Date to achieve target | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A safe, lawful and humane federal correctional practice | Percentage of recommendations made in relation to individual offender complaints that were addressed by the CSC | 90% | March 31, 2023 | 89% | 82% | 88% |
Percentage of recommendations made in relation to the OCI's corporate priorities that were addressed by the CSC | 100% | March 31, 2023 | 100% | 85% | 80% |
As indicated in the 2021-22 actual results column of the Results Achieved table OCI has not been able to meet the establish target for its two performance indicators. This is due to an inconsistent data collection approach which we are currently reviewing.
The financial, human resources and performance information for the OCI’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase .
Planned budgetary spending for Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections
The following table shows, for Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.
2023–24 budgetary spending | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|
4,516,164 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for OCI’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase .
Planned human resources for Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections
The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.
2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
35 | 35 | 35 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for OCI’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase .
Internal services: planned results
Description
Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:
- management and oversight services
- communications services
- legal services
- human resources management services
- financial management services
- information management services
- information technology services
- real property management services
- materiel management services
- acquisition management services
Planning highlights
The organization has several memoranda of understanding (MOUs) in place with service providers for basic internal services such as financial administration services; pay and compensation; contracting; staffing; and other human resources services. These MOUs include quality control, oversight, monitoring, and performance indicators. Over 50% of the planned spending amount identified as Internal Services, expenditures will be dedicated to goods and services to support the Core Responsibility: Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections and/or the organization as a whole, for example, consultant contracts and the MOUs.
The organization is reviewing its Digital Services Plan that takes the Office from one that is mostly a paper-based system to one with a full digital office and that aligns with government hybrid work force approaches. Specifically, in the upcoming year, the organization will continue the implementation of its digital office project, as well as put efforts and investments toward establishing an OCI data and performance strategy in order to improve tracking, reporting and information management practices. OCI will also continue its work on finalising its public-facing website redesign to improve information accessibility and its launch for the Office’s 50 th anniversary.
In addition to the ongoing human resources obligations in addressing the current pandemic environment, OCI is also looking into various wellbeing initiatives to support its staff and attract new talent.
Planning for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses
The Office of the Correctional Investigator is listed in phase three of the Indigenous business procurement implementation targeting 2024-25 for the achievement of the mandatory minimum 5%. As part of the procurement planning exercise, the office will be identifying Indigenous businesses available to meet our contracting needs. Additionally, we plan to work with our service providers to establish a planning and reporting methodology to ensure that we meet the mandatory 5% target using various contracting mechanisms.
5% reporting | 2021-22 actual % | 2022-23 forecasted % | 2023–24 planned % |
|---|---|---|---|
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses | N/A | N/A | 3% |
Planned budgetary spending for internal services
The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.
2023–24 budgetary spending | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|
1,058,441 | 1,058,441 | 1,058,441 | 1,058,441 |
Planned human resources for internal services
The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to carry out its internal services for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.
2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
6 | 6 |
Planned spending and human resources
This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023–24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.
Planned spending
Departmental spending 2020–21 to 2025–26
The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.
The variance between 2021-22 and 2022-23 is attributable to negotiated salary adjustments for unrepresented groups (EX) and operational carry forward from the previous fiscal year. Additionally, the decreased spending in 2021-22 was due to COVID19 challenges as well as personnel turnover and staffing delays.
Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
The following table shows information on spending for each of the OCI’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and other relevant fiscal years.
Core Responsibilities and internal services | 2020-21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023-24 | 2023–24 | 2024-25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections | 4,736,304 | 4,138,938 | 4,577,806 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 |
Subtotal | 4,736,304 | 4,138,938 | 4,577,806 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 | 4,516,164 |
Internal Services | 1,091,172 | 1,014,057 | 1,144,258 | 1,058,441 | 1,058,441 | 1,058,441 | 1,058,441 |
Total | 5,827,476 | 5,152,995 | 5,722,258 | 5,574,605 | 5,574,605 | 5,574,605 | 5,574,605 |
The variance between 2021-22 and 2022-23 is attributable to negotiated salary adjustments for unrepresented groups (EX) and operational carry forward from the previous fiscal year. Additionally, the decreased spending in 2021-22 was due to COVID19 challenges as well as personnel turnover and staffing delays.
2023–24 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)
The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for 2023–24.
Core responsibilities and internal services | 2023-24 | 2023–23 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|
Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections | 4,516,164 | 0 | 4,516,164 |
Subtotal | 4,516,164 | 0 | 4,516,164 |
Internal services | 1,058,441 | 0 | 1,058,441 |
Total | 5,574,605 | 0 | 5,574,605 |
Planned human resources
The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of the OCI’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and the other relevant years.
Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibilities and internal services | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections | 33 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
Internal services | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Total | 38 | 35 | 38 | 41 | 41 | 41 |
Estimates by vote
Information on the OCI’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2023–24 Main Estimates .
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the OCI’s operations for 2022–23 to 2023–24.
The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.
A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, are available on the OCI’s website.
Financial information | 2022-2023 | 2023-24 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses | 6,452,313 | 6,209,311 | (243,002) |
Total revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 6,452,313 | 6,209,311 | (243,002) |
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P.
Institutional head: Ivan Zinger, J.D., Ph.D
Ministerial portfolio: Public Safety
Enabling instrument(s): Corrections and Conditional Release Act
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1973 pursuant to the Inquiries Act and 1992 pursuant to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act .
Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
Information on OCI’s raison d’être, mandate and role is available on the website
Information on OCI’s mandate letter commitments is available in the Minister’s mandate letter.
Operating context
Information on the operating context is available on OCI’s website .
Reporting framework
OCI’s approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2023–24 are as follows.
Supporting information on the Program Inventory
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to OCI’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Supplementary information tables
Over the last fiscal years, the Office has demonstrated its commitment to GBA Plus through its investigative work on Uses of Force involving federally incarcerated Black, Indigenous, Peoples of Colour and other vulnerable populations including women and individuals with mental health concerns. The Office has also demonstrated its commitment to Green procurement through its compliance with its Public Safety contracting service provider green procurement strategy.
As the Office continues to finalize and implement its Three-year Strategic Plan, GBA Plus initiative and commitments for upcoming years will be solidified and supplementary tables will be prepared for future Departmental Plan needs. Additionally, following the approval of the 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, the Office will subsequently develop its sustainable strategy, including clearly established Green procurement measures.
The Office of the Correctional Investigator is committed to continuously contributing to the GBA Plus initiative and Green Procurement strategy.
Federal tax expenditures
OCI’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.
Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government‑wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures . This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.
Organizational contact information
Mailing address
Office of the Correctional Investigator Canada
PO Box+ 3421, Station D
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L4
Canada
Telephone: 1-877-885-8848
Fax: 613-990-0563
Email: org@oci-bec.gc.ca
Website(s): https://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx
Appendix: definitions
appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A document that sets out a department’s priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three‑year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.
full‑time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person‑year charge against a departmental budget. Full‑time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2023–24 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the Government’s agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.
high impact innovation (innovation à impact élevé)
High impact innovation varies per organizational context. In some cases, it could mean trying something significantly new or different from the status quo. In other cases, it might mean making incremental improvements that relate to a high-spending area or addressing problems faced by a significant number of Canadians or public servants.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.
A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within a department and that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
An inventory of a department’s programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department’s core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.
result (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead, they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.
