2023-2027 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

SECTION 1

Introduction to the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

The 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada’s sustainable development goals and targets, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. This is the first FSDS to be framed using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and provides a balanced view of the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development.

In keeping with the purpose of the Act, to make decision-making related to sustainable development more transparent and accountable to Parliament, the Office of the Correctional Investigator  (the Office or OCI) supports the goals laid out in the FSDS through the activities described in this DSDS.

The Federal Sustainable Development Act also sets out 7 principles that must be considered in the development of the FSDS as well as DSDSs. These basic principles have been considered and incorporated in the Office of the Correctional Investigator's DSDS.

In order to promote coordinated action on sustainable development across the Government of Canada, this departmental strategy integrates efforts to advance Canada’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda National Strategy, supported by the Global Indicator Framework (GIF) and Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) targets and indicators. The strategy also now captures SDG initiatives that fall outside the scope of the FSDS to inform the development of the Canada’s Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

SECTION 2

Office of the Correctional Investigator’s Sustainable Development Vision

The Office of the Correctional Investigator is a single program micro agency. Its mission is to ensure the fair and humane treatment of persons serving federal sentences. This is done by investigating individual complaints, drawing attention to human rights obligations, and holding the Correctional Services Canada (CSC) accountable for administering federal corrections in a way that is compliant to law, policy and fair decision-making.

At the Office of the Correctional Investigator, in consultation with the Policy and Research division, the Corporate Services and Planning division is responsible for developing, implementing and reporting on this strategy. In the past years, the OCI was not bound by the Federal Sustainable Development Act and was not required to develop a full departmental sustainable development strategy. Nevertheless, through its corporate reporting and with the support of its service provider, the OCI adhered to the principles of the FSDS by implementing the Policy on Green Procurement. Additionally, over the past years the OCI contributed to several performance target levels in support of the FSDS goals, such as reducing paper usage and increasing use of electronic invoices. 

In accordance with the new 2022-26 FSDS, the OCI is responsible for contributing to the implementation strategies for the Goal 10: Advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and take action on inequality; Goal 12: Reduce Waste and transition to zero-emissions vehicles; and, Goal 13: Take action on climate change and its impacts. The Department will support these FSDS goals through the activities described in this DSDS.

SECTION 3

Listening to Canadians

As required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act, the Office of the Correctional Investigator has taken into account comments on the draft 2022-2026 FSDS made during the public consultation held from March 11 to July 9, 2022.

During the public consultation, more than 700 comments were received from a broad range of stakeholders, including governments, Indigenous organizations, non-governmental organizations, academics, businesses, and individual Canadians in different age groups and of various backgrounds. The draft FSDS was also shared with the appropriate committee of each House of Parliament, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and the Sustainable Development Advisory Council for their review and comment.

What We Heard

Across the submissions received, the Office of the Correctional Investigator identified sustainable development priorities and issues that affect us.

Among the main concerns of the OCI 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 and Black individuals), age (e.g., aging/elderly), mental and physical health status (e.g., individuals with mental or physical health issues), etc. Specifically, given the increasing overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples under federal custody, which currently stands at nearly one-third of the federally incarcerated population overall, it is essential that as an oversight agency, the OCI’s attention remains focused on the problems faced by Indigenous peoples under federal sentence.

Additionally, with the promulgation of new policies in 2022 regarding the management of gender-diverse persons under federal sentence, the OCI will continue to investigate and monitor the experiences of gender-diverse individuals and the implementation of the new directives. 

Therefore, the two key priorities identified during public consultations related to the Office’s mandate are: 

• Amplifying Indigenous perspective, through Indigenous distinction and rights-based perspectives and cultural dimensions; and,
• Increasing consultations and content related to 2SLGBTQI+ and BIPOC communities.

What We Did

The Office of the Correctional Investigator took the above-mentioned key priorities and issues into consideration in this DSDS. 

Further to the two key priorities identified during the public consultations that are related to the OCI’s mandate, in developing the Office’s DSDS goals, targets, and implementation strategies, consideration was given to how best to obtain, incorporate, and amplify Indigenous perspectives, as well as how to advance equity and inclusion. By operationalizing these two key priorities, specific goals, targets, and implementation strategies were developed for areas such as: improving staff cultural competency and awareness through regular and ongoing training; creating opportunities for participation and co-development by Indigenous organizations and businesses with concrete and achievable targets; and, increasing the breadth and depth of dialogue and partnerships with diverse and distinction based groups through engagements and stakeholder outreach.

Please find more information on the FSDS public consultation and its results in the FSDS Consultation Report

SECTION 4

Office of the Correctional Investigator’s Commitments

GOAL 10: 
ADVANCE RECONCILIATION WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND TAKE ACTION ON INEQUALITY

FSDS Context:

In Goal 10, the target “Between 2023 and 2026, and every year on an ongoing basis, develop and table annual progress reports on implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act “ contains the implementation strategy: 

• Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act 

The United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA) requires the Minister of Justice, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, to report annually to Parliament on progress made to align federal laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the Declaration) and on the development and implementation of the action plan. Organizations are asked to provide updates on departmental initiatives that align with the Declaration and/or contribute to its implementation.

As the national oversight agency for federal corrections, the OCI’s mandate is to respond to individual complaints as well as to investigate, make recommendations, and raise awareness on the needs and rights of individuals who are serving federal sentences, of which nearly one-third are individuals of Indigenous ancestry. All program areas within the agency (i.e., Corporate Services, Operations, and Policy & Research) contribute to advancing the programs, policies, and initiatives that support the departmental actions toward this goal. Investigations into the rights of Indigenous peoples, be they individual or systemic in scope, are fundamental to the work of the Office, in particular the work of the Operations and Policy & Research program areas. Additionally, the Office’s participation in broader interdepartmental initiatives (e.g., working group on the Indigenous Justice Strategy) support advancing larger government actions and efforts to advance this goal.

Target theme: Advancing reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis communities

Target: Between 2023 and 2026, and every year on an ongoing basis, develop and table annual progress reports on implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada)        
 

SECTION 5

Integrating Sustainable Development

The Office of the Correctional Investigator is planning to further integrate the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the reduction of inequalities into its annual systemic investigation planning cycle. Additionally, through its ongoing review of internal policies and processes, the Office will further integrate greening government and green procurement initiatives.

The Office will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets, as required, through its SEA process. An SEA for a policy, plan or program proposal includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on relevant FSDS goals and targets.

Public statements on the results of the OCI’s assessments are made public when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA. The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision-making.