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Septembre 19, 2011 (Ottawa)
Will the Omnibus Bill Bankrupt Canada?
Many Canadians are extremely concerned about the potential costs of the proposed Omnibus crime bill. As many in the United States are working to undo the fiscal and social devastation of so-called American style criminal and social justice approaches of longer sentences, the government plans to introduce new laws that will cost us tens of billions of dollars.
The government’s Parliamentary Budget office projected the increase costs related to just one of bills would be more than five billion dollars – more than doubling current expenditures for the corrections system alone. Furthermore, he revealed that the provinces and territories would have to contribute the largest proportion of the increase.
Most people in jail are considered non-violent, by police and correctional authorities. In order to prevent more men, women, and especially children, from being marginalized, victimized, criminalized and imprisoned, Canadians are telling us and politicians that they would rather see their hard-earned tax dollars spent on public housing, child care, pensions, health care, mental health services, public education, victims and other social services.
Most of these services, as well as many policing and prison services are the responsibility of provincial and territorial governments. As such, we do not believe the federal government should be permitted to enact their proposed Omnibus Bill until the provinces, territories and the federal government:
1) have a clear understanding of the price tag attached to each proposed legislative or policy reform that is disclosed to the public; and
2) can assure Parliament that the expected increase in costs can be accommodated without exceeding 100% capacity of the correctional facilities and without increasing our current deficit.
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) and the John Howard Society of Canada (JHSC) will be present and provide additional comments at a press conference in the Charles Lynch Room, Centre Block, at 10:30am on Tuesday, September 20, 2011.
Contact:
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
Kim Pate – 613-298-2422
John Howard Society of Canada
Catherine Latimer – 613-384-6272
June 4, 2008 (Ottawa)
Corrections Should Have Released
Ashley’s Files Says Privacy Commissioner
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) has been forced to take the government to court in order to obtain the files that Ashley Smith asked them to access on her behalf. Ashley died at the Grand Valley Institution, a federal penitentiary for women, on October 19, 2007.
“Although the Privacy Commissioner has ruled that CAEFS was legally entitled to Ashley’s files, the Correctional Service of Canada persists in its refusal to provide these records to us,” reported Kim Pate, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. “We have been requesting this material for two years, since well before Ashley’s tragic death. We owe it to Ashley’s memory, and to the women still facing the sort of treatment to which she was subjected, to pursue this matter,” continued Pate.
“The Privacy Commissioner should not be leaving this struggle to us alone,” added Lucie Joncas, the President of the Association. “The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has determined that the Privacy Act gives us the legal right to obtain these records, even though Ashley is no longer alive. We are dismayed by the decision of the Privacy Commissioner to refuse to pursue this any further. The Privacy Commissioner has a policy which states that they will take to court organizations that refuse to implement her recommendations. We have pursued every avenue available to us. A small, voluntary organization like ours, with two salaried positions and limited fiscal resources, should not be forced to ensure that the Government fulfills its legal obligations. CAEFS requested that Commissioner’s office assist us in this case, but they have refused to do so. We have no choice but to try to rectify this travesty ourselves,” stated Ms Joncas.
“We are extremely disappointed with respect to the denial of access to information Ashley Smith wanted us to have on her behalf. We were frustrated by the denial of the Correctional Service of Canada, but we are equally disappointed by the Privacy Commissioner’s unwillingness to pursue the legitimate privacy rights of individuals – particularly since the Privacy Commissioner has appeared before Parliament and indicated that the enforcement mechanisms under the Privacy Act are inadequate. This is one important matter where there happens to be an enforcement mechanism and she could have used her vast resources in an attempt to solidify the privacy rights of all Canadians. What good is asking for better enforcement mechanisms if the Commissioner is not willing to use the existing ones?” concluded Ms Pate.
Contact:
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) is a federation of member societies who work with and on behalf of marginalized, victimized, criminalized, and imprisoned women and girls.
Lucie Joncas, President or Kim Pate, Executive Director - 613-298-2422
June 4, 2008 (Ottawa)
Smoking Ban
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) and the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) join the women in prison and other community based groups in calling on the Minister of Public Safety to reconsider the decision to remove tobacco from the federal prisons.
In addition to the reality that many prisoners “live” in the federal prisons for many years, approximately one third of the women are Aboriginal. The ban on tobacco will significantly infringe on their spiritual practices of smudging, as tobacco and any instruments used to light tobacco are now considered contraband in the federal prisons. In addition to regulating spiritual practices via this ban, access to sacred ceremonies is being treated as though it is optional, like a privilege or a program, rather than a constitutional and human right. Furthermore, the Correctional Service of Canada has taken the cynical and hypocritical move of allowing tobacco use by staff.
“Initially, we were all advised that the tobacco ban was being implemented for health reasons,” indicated Maître Lucie Joncas, President of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. “As this matter has progressed, however, it is clear that what was originally raised as a health issue, has now become yet another tool in the arsenal of Correctional Services to withhold rights that prisoners should otherwise enjoy. The reality is not lost on any of us that the disproportionate impact of this ban will be experienced by Aboriginal women and men in prison. It appears to be yet another form of discriminatory treatment, one that the marginalized and the criminalized population knows all too well.”
“We recently became aware of the fact that the Correctional Service of Canada is planning to create smoking areas for staff, while simultaneously prohibiting all prisoners from accessing tobacco, except through extremely limited means and with the authority of an employee of the Correctional Service of Canada. If this sort of limitation on spiritual practices was imposed on any other group, the uproar would be deafening,” continued Beverley Jacobs, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “We are always concerned about anything that will compromise the health and safety of the women inside, but to allow staff to smoke outside and to not permit women the same access to smoking is one thing. To severely curtail their access to spiritual practices, such as smudging and other ceremonies where tobacco should be freely available to them, is to essentially promote the continuation of the cultural and spiritual genocide our people have experienced for far too long.”
Contact:
Beverley Jacobs, President, Native Women’s Association of Canada – 613-878-6922
Maître Lucie Joncas, President, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies - 613-298-2422
May 5, 2008 (Ottawa)
National Elizabeth Fry Week: May 5 - 11, 2008
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) celebrates National Elizabeth Fry Week annually. Elizabeth Fry Societies across the country organize public events in their communities throughout the week
Our goal is to enhance public awareness and education regarding the circumstances of victimized and criminalized women involved in the criminal justice system.
We hope to gradually break down the negative stereotypes that exist about women who are imprisoned and institutionalized.
National Elizabeth Fry Week is always the week preceding Mother's Day. The majority of women who are criminalized and imprisoned are mothers. Most of them were the sole supporters of their families at the time they were incarcerated.
When mothers are sentenced to prison, their children are sentenced to separation. We try to draw attention to this reality by ending Elizabeth Fry Week on Mother's Day each year.
By focusing on "Meeting Women’s Needs in the Community and Alternatives to Institutionalization", our 26 member societies encourage Canadians to examine some productive and responsible means of encouraging community responses to addressing criminal justice matters from coast to coast.
Our hope is that, particularly in this time of fiscal restraint, this sort of proactive focus will encourage the development of and support for community-based alternatives to costly incarceration.
CAEFS challenges Canadians to reach behind the walls and bring women into our communities, so that they may take responsibility and account for their actions in ways that make sense to them and to us.
October 17, 2007 (Ottawa)
National Women’s Group Rejects the Notion
of an Omnibus Bill
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) urges Canadians to call for more social services, health care and educational and employment options, rather than the implementation of the government’s U.S.-style plan to drain more resources from these basic needs areas in favour of more guns and longer prison terms. CAEFS is a federation of 26 local, community based service providers who work with and on behalf of marginalized victimized, criminalized, and imprisoned women and girls. “We are extremely concerned about the government’s so called law and order agenda, especially their regressive law reform initiatives and their potential interference with opportunities for conditional release,” announced Maître Lucie Joncas, President of the Canadian Association of the Elizabeth Fry Societies.
“The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies works tirelessly trying to stem the tide of the rapidly rising numbers of women in prison. The federal government’s current direction, reinforced by the throne speech, is guaranteed to increase the numbers of imprisoned women. The government’s emphasis on longer prison sentences is guaranteed to increase the numbers of imprisoned women. This direction ignores the inequity and outcomes associated with existing social, economic and health policies. In fact, it is likely to increase marginalization and systemic inequality, which is experienced disproportionably by Aboriginal and other racialized women and women with mental health issues. Jails are the only institutions that cannot say ‘our beds are full’, or, ‘sorry, we have no more room’ and yet they are increasingly being used to house people who need treatment, support and other forms of social and/or health services. All indications are that the proposed omnibus bill will only make this situation far worse, and at a tremendous fiscal and human cost to all Canadians,” advised Kim Pate, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies.
“Minister Day’s Blue Ribbon Panel is about to report on correctional operations and propose yet more changes. If they recommend federal super jails and fewer supervised release options, this too could make things far worse. Imprisonment is expensive – far more expensive, in fact, than other means of preventing crime. To keep a person incarcerated in Canada costs anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000 per year, depending upon the nature of the prison and the needs of the prisoner. If even just half of the seven billion dollars currently spent on imprisoning people was invested in welfare, housing, health, education and other community based services, the resulting resources would benefit whole communities, not merely those who are criminalized,” concluded Dr. Ailsa Watkinson, Chair of CAEFS’ Social Action Committee and also a volunteer member of the Executive of CAEFS.
Contact:
Maître Lucie Joncas, President;
Dr. Ailsa M. Watkinson, Social Action Committee Chair
or Kim Pate, Executive Director 613-298-2422
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