On May 4, 2026, CSC released a Case Management Bulletin around policy changes to Commissioner Directive (CD) 715 (Community Supervision Framework) and CD 715-1 (Community Supervision). These policy changes were introduced after three years had passed since National Headquarters (NHQ) last consulted with stakeholders on these CDs. No notice had been given to USJE on what decisions had been taken in relation to the CDs or when the CD would be promulgated.
Since this release, many USJE members have come forward with concerns and questions regarding the release of these policy changes. They have also expressed significant concern about the impact these changes will have on their workload, given that there were no announced resources attached to the immediate implementation of new policy.
At the National Labour Management Consultation Committee (NLMCC) Meeting with Commissioner Dakalbab on May 14, the noted issues were brought to his immediate attention. USJE asserted that the new direction provided by CSC would have a major impact on Case Management Team (CMT) workload, particularly Parole Officers, and that members were very concerned about the changes and related impacts. Points were also raised around how consultation is done more generally within the Department and the importance of considering the information received from the frontline when policy changes are being developed and implemented.
At the time, Commissioner Dakalbab acknowledged that feedback related to concerns had also been received at NHQ regarding the new changes in CD 715 and CD 715-1. He then committed to conducting further consultation on these matters with all stakeholders identifying that information on the updated consultation would be shared in the near future.
On May 24, USJE reached out to Commissioner Dakalbab again on this matter. In an email to the Commissioner, President Neufeld stated very clearly that CSC should “…stop the implementation of CD 715 immediately” and allow greater consultation to take place to ensure clarity and resources, so that our members are in a position to support any changes in policy and procedure.
On May 25, Commissioner Dakalbab sent a message to the management team advising the following:
“To better understand the context, I’ve met with my team at National Headquarters to review the policy development process, including consultations and feedback mechanisms, particularly as they relate to these CDs. While I have asked for a broader review of our policy framework, I’ve also requested that the Policy Sector and the Correctional Operations and Programs Sector reconnect with the community to gather further input on these specific CDs.
In the coming weeks, all community staff will be invited to share their feedback. This will be an important opportunity to highlight how the changes are impacting your work, particularly in community supervision.”
The Commissioner then identified that focus groups will be held to explore the feedback and, once complete, his team would be expected to report back with potential adjustments.
The Commissioner was clear that the current requirements would remain in effect and “must be followed”.
USJE remains actively involved in this matter and continues to raise concerns regarding the workloads of all members of the CMT, as well as those that could endure peripheral impacts by changes in process. Members are reminded of their rights under the current Collective Agreement and if their caseload requires them to work more than 37.5 hours per week. These rights and the request for overtime process are outlined in the link below:
Adding more duties and responsibilities to Parole Officers at a time that they are already struggling with workload is exacerbating issues identified in Dr. Rose Ricciardelli’s 2019 USJE report, The Mental Health and Well-being of Canadian Federal Parole Officers — A Qualitative Investigation.
As part of USJE’s ongoing advocacy on the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) and the many other meetings with the department (ie. Parole Officer Workload Review), USJE has identified clearly that high workloads are having a significant impact on our members mental health and will have a negative effect on staff burnout, absenteeism, and resignations.
USJE continues to advocate that if CSC is truly committed to changing the culture of the department and standing behind their Mental Health Strategy, they need to show it in actions by taking proactive steps to change their past way of doing business, which includes committing to fulsome consultation, proper resourcing and a systematic implementation of change(s).
USJE has another NLCC Meeting scheduled with Commissioner Dakalbab on June 11. At that time, USJE will continue to push CSC on these matters.
USJE encourages our members to participate in the consultation process with the department in the coming weeks. It is imperative that CSC hear from our members during this consultative process.