The interior of a cell is seen refected in a steel mirror during a media tour of renovations at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Halifax on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The federal government has appointed a deputy commissioner for Indigenous corrections in a move towards tackling the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada's criminal justice system.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
OTTAWA – The federal government has appointed a deputy commissioner for Indigenous corrections in a move towards tackling the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada’s criminal justice system.
Correctional Service Canada announced today that it is promoting Kathy Neil, a Métis official, to serve in the role beginning May 1.
The hiring of such a position was a call to justice in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which released its recommendations in 2019.
Neil is currently the corrections agency’s assistant deputy commissioner of correctional operations in the Prairies, was previously the warden of Saskatchewan Penitentiary and has also served as a community health worker.
She says she believes in the importance of meaningful partnerships and engagement with Indigenous communities, and will work hard to ensure that they achieve positive outcomes together.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says her appointment is a major step on the path to reconciliation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2023.
