On July 29th, National President David Neufeld and Regional Vice-President, Kirsty Havard (CSC BC), attended Fraser Valley Institution (FVI) to conduct a site visit with Conservative Member of Parliament, Frank Caputo (Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo).
MP Caputo currently serves as the Conservative Critic on Public Safety and sits on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. MP Caputo attended USJE’s Public Safety Awards in April 2024 in Ottawa and has expressed a strong interest to learn more about the work of our USJE members.
This site visit was arranged to provide him with an opportunity to learn more about the USJE members in our women’s federal institutions and the challenges they face in their very important work.
The site visit began with a greeting from USJE Local President Anita Fortune and was followed by a detailed tour by FVI Warden Carol Chen and the Assistant Warden Management Services Chris Szafron.
The visit focused on the role that USJE members at FVI fulfill and how they contribute to the rehabilitation and reintegration of female offenders in the federal correctional system. It was encouraging to hear from a number of USJE members that described FVI as “a positive place to work”. The pride they exhibited in their work was evident.
The more recent budgetary cuts in CSC remain a significant area of concern for USJE members, as it directly affects higher workloads in offender case management. All USJE members recognize the importance of having more time to work one-on-one with female offenders and identified how additional time can contribute to positive public safety results. Recent budget cuts are forcing institutions, including this one, to do “more with less”. It also means that staff coverage (backfill) may not be provided when members are off on extended leave.
Several USJE members were able to provide insight into programs offered at FVI (ie. Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) and how these programs prepare women offenders for eventual release. Other training opportunities delivered by USJE members were also identified where the offenders learn transferable skills once released back into the Community. For example, working in the stores area and working in maintenance to name a few.
Outside of the tour, President Neufeld and RVP Havard also spoke to MP Caputo about USJE’s Presumptive Injury Campaign and how federal legislative changes are needed to the Government Employees Compensation Act (GECA) to ensure that USJE members who experience direct and vicarious trauma get the support they need when they encounter an operational stress injury.
Having previously worked for CSC as a Parole Officer, MP Caputo identified that he too understands the challenges around vicarious trauma and how it is important to support front line public safety personnel.
President Neufeld and RVP Havard would like to thank MP Caputo for taking the time to learn about USJE’s contributions to public safety and to hear directly from our members.