This departmental plan details Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI)'s priorities, plans, and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.
These plans align with the OCI's Vision, mission, raison d’être and operating context.
Key priorities
The OCI identified the following key priorities for 2026-27:
- Improve Service Standards to ensure more prompt resolution of incarcerated person’s complaints through efficient investigative processes;
- Implement team-based inspection model in compliance with international standards as a tool to oversee compliance with human rights standards;
- Implement a process that includes environmental scanning to develop criteria for conducting systemic and thematic investigations; and
- Pursue work on workplace Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism (IDEAA), and continue to be responsive to the gender and diversity of its clients by accelerating its Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) efforts.
Comprehensive Expenditure Review
The government is committed to restraining the growth of day-to-day operational spending to make investments that will grow the economy and benefit Canadians. As part of meeting this commitment, OCI is planning the following spending reductions:
- 2026-27: $541,000
- 2027-28: $721,000
- 2028-29: $1,082,000
It is anticipated that these spending reductions will involve a decrease of approximately 8 full-time equivalents by 2028-29.
OCI will achieve these reductions by doing the following:
- Proposed reduction will be achieved through streamlining certain operational functions and merging of some functions within the Agency.
The figures in this departmental plan reflect these reductions.
Highlights for the Office of the Correctional Investigator in 2026-27
Building on the legacy of strong, principled oversight outlined by Dr. Zinger, the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) enters 2026–27 as a year of transition and reflection. With the anticipated arrival of a new Correctional Investigator in early 2026, the OCI is poised to embrace fresh perspectives while remaining firmly committed to its mandate of independent oversight. This period will emphasize continuity, accessibility, and laying the groundwork for future priorities.
Looking Back to Build Ahead
The OCI is taking stock of a decade of recommendations by continuing to track and assess progress across six enduring priority areas:
- Security and Conditions of Confinement
- Physical and Mental Health
- Deaths in Custody
- Federally Sentenced Women
- Indigenous Corrections
- Interventions, Programs, and Reintegration to Community
This work will highlight systemic issues that remain unresolved and inform the development of forward-looking strategies under new leadership.
Reaffirming Oversight Principles
As the organization transitions, the OCI will uphold its commitment to the principles of fairness, independence, accountability, and impartiality which form the cornerstones for effective correctional oversight. These values will guide all activities during this period of transition while ensuring that federally sentenced individuals continue to have access to a trusted and responsive recourse mechanism.
Enhancing Accessibility and Service Delivery
The OCI will maintain its focus on accessibility, ensuring that its services are available to all federally sentenced individuals, regardless of background, language, ability, or location. Efforts will include improving communication tools and outreach strategies to reduce barriers and promote awareness of the Office’s mandate.
In 2026-27, total planned spending (including internal services) for the OCI is $7,682,095 and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 44.
Summary of planned results
The following provides a summary of the results the department plans to achieve in 2026-27 under its main areas of activity, called “core responsibilities.”
Core responsibility 1: Independent Oversight of federal corrections
In 2026–27, a key priority for the Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections will be strengthening organizational practices to uphold the principles of fairness, accountability, and human rights. This includes enhancing service standards to ensure timely and predictable resolution of complaints, while improving transparency in reporting outcomes. Visiting standards and monitoring practices will be reinforced to support more robust, team-based inspections, with greater integration between on-site observations and systemic investigations. These efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to safeguarding human dignity within federal institutions and advancing a correctional system that is safe, lawful, and humane.
Planned spending: $5,670,743
Planned human resources: 36
More information about the Independent Oversight of Federal Corrections can be found in the full plan.
For complete information on the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources section of the full plan.
