COMMISSIONER'S DIRECTIVE

MISSION OF THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICE OF CANADA

Policy Bulletin 165

POLICY OBJECTIVES

1. To further detail the policy framework for the development and delivery of federal corrections.

2. To highlight the significance of our Mission-based values to assist the members of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) in performing their professional duties consistent with the highest ethical standards.

CROSS-REFERENCES

3. Corrections and Conditional Release Act, s. 4;

Mission Document of the Correctional Service of Canada;

Commissioner's Directive 060 - Code of Discipline;

Standards of Professional Conduct in the Correctional Service of Canada;

Statement of Values and Ethics in the Correctional Service of Canada;

Treasury Board Policy on the Prevention and Resolution of Harassment in the Workplace (TB Policy);

Treasury Board Policy on Internal Disclosure;

Guide to CSC's Policy and Procedures on the Internal Disclosure of Wrongdoing in the Workplace;

A Strong Foundation: Report of the Task Force on Public Service Values and Ethics (Tait Report). CCMD, 1996.

PRINCIPLES

4. CSC's Mission Document provides:

1. clear direction to all staff of the Service in the exercise of their responsibilities;
2. a strategic framework for the development of policies and programs;
3. a basis upon which the Service will be held accountable; and
4. assistance in explaining to those outside the Service, its role, activities and future direction.

5. All internal regulatory documents must conform to the Mission Document, and promote the achievement of the Mission.

6. CSC's Values Framework shall guide decision-making in the Service.

VALUES FRAMEWORK

7. CSC's Values Framework is based on the Core Values from the Mission of the Correctional Service of Canada and the broader shared public service values described in A Strong Foundation: Report of the Task Force on Public Service Values and Ethics.

Core Values

• We respect the dignity of individuals, the rights of all members of society, and the potential for human growth and development.
• We recognize that the offender has the potential to live as a law-abiding citizen.
• We believe that our strength and our major resource in achieving our objectives is our staff and that human relationships are the cornerstone of our endeavour.
• We believe that the sharing of ideas, knowledge, values and experience, nationally and internationally, is essential to the achievement of our Mission.
• We believe in managing the Service with openness and integrity and we are accountable to the Solicitor General.

And

Democratic Values

• The most important defining factor for the role and values of the Public Service of Canada is its democratic mission and public trust: helping ministers, under law and the Constitution, to serve the common good.
• Public servants hold a public trust. They must be as loyal in implementation as they are fearless in their advice. They must demonstrate fairness, integrity, impartiality and equity. They must have an unshakable conviction about the importance and primacy of the law and Constitution.

Professional Values

• These involve carrying out our duties in the best possible manner, continuously trying to improve, demonstrating competence, objectivity, honesty and excellence, respecting merit, rewarding effectiveness and being faithful to the public trust. This includes always being aware of our many clients, what they need from us and how our outputs and results correspond to those needs.

Peoples Values

• Public service is based on relationships of trust, respect for the dignity and worth of others, including Canadians at large, our partners, our clients, our critics and ourselves as colleagues and individuals and as members of diverse linguistic and cultural groups. They include characteristics such as respect, reasonableness, civility, openness, fairness and inclusiveness.

Ethical Values

• These involve continually striving to earn public trust by abiding by our legal mandate and putting the common good ahead of personal advantage. Abiding by such values involves such characteristics as integrity, honesty, impartiality, fairness, objectivity, the courage to speak truth to power, selflessness, the willingness to take responsibility and to be accountable, probity, respect for the law and careful management of public resources.

RESPONSIBILITIES

8. The Executive Committee members (EXCOM) shall be responsible for:

1. ensuring employees who make disclosures in good faith are treated fairly and protected against reprisals;
2. modelling ethical behaviour; and
3. ensuring that decisions are values-based.

9. The Senior Deputy Commissioner, as the Ethics Champion, shall provide general direction and leadership on the integration of ethics into the everyday functioning of CSC.

10. The Assistant Commissioner, Performance Assurance, as the Senior Officer of Values and Ethics, shall be responsible for the Office of Internal Disclosure.

11. The Assistant Commissioner, Human Resource Management shall be responsible for ensuring that awareness and training on values and ethics is provided to CSC managers and staff.

12. Managers (at all levels) shall be responsible for:

1. ensuring that all employees are aware of CSC's Values Framework;
2. promoting values-based decision-making in the workplace;
3. incorporating inclusiveness and transparency into everyday processes; and
4. normally acting as first line of communication for staff bringing forward complaints.

13. Employees shall be responsible for:

1. acting in accordance with the behavioural expectations as described in the Standards of Professional Conduct and the Code of Discipline;
2. making appropriate decisions based on CSC's Values Framework; and
3. bringing forward instances of inappropriate behaviour.

ETHICS COMMITTEE

14. CSC shall have an Ethics Committee that shall provide advice and guidance to the Service, via the Commissioner, in areas of ethical conflict and provide a forum to review internal disclosure investigation reports for organizational implications.

15. Membership on the Ethics Committee shall be balanced between internal and external representation.

RECOURSE MEASURES

16. The Office of Internal Disclosure shall provide intake, screening, mediation and investigative services to employees who wish to file complaints of allegations of wrongdoing in the workplace.

Commissioner,

Original signed by
Lucie McClung

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