KINGSTON – Liberal Public Safety Critic Mark Holland is in Kingston today to commit a future Liberal government to re-opening prison farms slated for closure by the Harper Conservative government.
“The Liberal Party of Canada deplores the short-sighted, ideologically-driven actions of the Harper government in continuing the arbitrary dismantling of Canada’s prison farm program and ignoring an explicit Parliamentary Committee motion to suspend closures pending an independent assessment,” said Mr. Holland.
“The federal government is responsible for doing everything in its power to ensure that prisoners do not reoffend after completing their sentences. Eliminating one of the world’s best rehabilitation programs is a gross abdication of that responsibility – and will contribute to repeat offenses and more Canadians becoming the victims of preventable crimes.”
Last year, the Harper government announced their plan to phase out Canada’s six prison farms – two within the city limits of Kingston, and one each in New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The prison farm program is considered an extremely effective rehabilitation and training program that contributes to public safety and that also provides food for federal and provincial inmates.
Last month, the House of Commons Public Safety Committee asked the government to release the strategic review of prison farms from the Department of Correctional Services. The government has ignored the request.
Since the government’s announcement, a grassroots movement in Kingston – the “Save Our Prison Farms” coalition – has been valiantly trying to save prison farms.
“In a healthy democracy, citizens are consulted on the decisions that will impact their lives,” said Mr. Holland. “Yet the concerned citizens of Kingston have not been consulted for 18 months, and hundreds of voices who peacefully protested the closure of Kingston’s prison farm and the disposal of its historic dairy herd have been ignored. We applaud their courage in taking a public stand on behalf of the safety of our communities.”
While on the Liberal Express this summer, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff defended the value of prisoner rehabilitation programs, and praised the work of the “Save Our Prison Farms” group while pledging 100% support for their efforts. Liberals have also criticized Conservative plans to add to their $54-billion deficit by spending $13 billion on new American-style super-prisons – which would be built on prison farm lands – even though crime rates are dropping.
“The Liberal Party will continue to support those efforts, both to restore the prison farm program and to oppose the building of privatized U.S.-style super prisons on former prison farm lands,” concluded Mr. Holland.
