CANADIAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE ASSOCIATION | ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DE JUSTICE PÉNALE
CCJA President’s Report
2021-2022
Despite the backdrop of another challenging year, CCJA has maintained the
required direction and commitment to broaden our organizational work nationally
and internationally. These achievements have been accomplished through
collaboration and partnerships in criminal justice issues among Board Directors,
affiliated criminal justice partners and the public.
We have seen how the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities in our society and
shown us some ugly truths. The pandemic has affected many in the criminal justice system,
resulting in challenges requiring great resiliency. It is an odd feeling knowing we are living a
moment in history that will be studied and scrutinized for generations to come.
Our commitment is to a more humane criminal justice system by working with our strong
affiliated partnerships established over time; with organizations like the International
Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the
American Correctional Association, has earned us recognition as a highly credible and well-
respected organization. This resulted in CCJA receiving the invitation by the World Congress
Advisory Committee to co-host the 5 th World Congress 2022 in Ottawa, Ontario, September 28-
October 1, 2022, under the theme of ”No One Left behind: Building Community Capacity.”
It is through our biennial Canadian Criminal Justice Congresses that we have been
able to expand our international reach. Currently we are working with the
Confederation of European Probation, the ICPA and in collaboration with the main components
of the Canada Public Safety Portfolio including the Parole Board of Canada, the Correctional
Service of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
We look forward to welcoming participants to this international learning event
which will provide a great opportunity for criminal justice partner agencies,
researchers and academics to highlight their work. In addition, it will further
exemplify that CCJA is well positioned to collaborate on national and international
public education opportunities.
The CCJA is more than the biennial congresses. The Policy Review Committee,
Chaired by Dr. Myles McLellan contributes excellent work through comprehensive
briefs and communications to Ministers and Parliamentary Committees. The Justice
Report experienced some delays but, continues to publish excellent themed issues
with article submissions from diverse authors. The Canadian Journal of Criminology
and Criminal Justice Journal also experienced delays but, we are looking forward in
the near future to the normal resumption of research of quality articles by
academic contributors as this key resource is a bank of knowledge.
Public Safety Canada provides CCJA with a significant portion of its operating
budget as a sustaining grant. While the grant has been reduced for 2020-2025, we
are grateful and value the required financial support. Operations, financial and
administrative processes were well managed; expenses and expenditures will
continue to be managed with prudence.
It has been a year of rapid change, constantly adapting, retooling, and building resiliency.
I thought I would end with some gratitude.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your President. Last year at our Annual
General Meeting, I reflected on CCJA’s achievements and what I envisioned for the organization
in the year to come, and let me tell you, I had no idea what was in store for us all with the
enduring pandemic.
Thank you to my fellow Board colleagues for adapting, creating a Resiliency Plan for the
organization and continuing to lean into your board roles. We say goodbye to departing board
members and welcome newly elected members. Thank you all for your time and contributions.
I would like to thank Irving Kulik, Executive Director and the staff team for pivoting on many
evolving aspects of what we do from engaging with members, affililate partner agencies and
reimagining, retooling, and undertaking a significant task of planning a World Congress in what
is sure to be an eminent public education learning and engagement experience.
We have a significant role to play in the criminal justice field, providing a public education
platform for elevating voices, academic, research, policy perspectives and working to promote
equitable humane criminal justice communities. We have the ability to understand the role and
function of different levels of government and the complex intertwined policy environments
that influence resources; we have the ability to communicate information and processes so that
meaningful input is built into decisions; and we have the ability to bring people together and
facilitate essential discussions.
These are all essential attributes and experience that CCJA has developed in order to be able to
step up now and into the future, by providing leadership and meaningful engagement in the
criminal justice field.
Angela Falk
President 2019-2022