According to the Auditor General, the Department of Justice has not met its key responsibilities for inmates in the correctional system as required under the Corrections Act. The department adequately planned for its facilities, but did not adequately operate facilities to house inmates and did not manage inmates in compliance with key rehabilitation and reintegration requirements.

The committee is encouraged that the Minister accepted the Auditor General’s recommendations and has developed an action plan to implement them. At the same time, Members are concerned with the apparent efforts of the Minister and department to minimize the significance of the Auditor General’s findings.

The standing committee strongly encourages the department to reassess its action plan with a view to implementing effective procedural changes now that will address some of the key deficiencies identified in the report of the OAG.

The standing committee will be monitoring the department’s progress and looks forward to receiving substantive progress reports.

Recommendation 9

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government provide a response to this report within 120 days.