QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Public Safety
Human Rights of Incarcerated Persons
April 21, 2026
Tomorrow marks the thirty-second anniversary of the violations of human and Charter rights at the Prison for Women in Kingston that led Justice Louise Arbour to call for increased accountability for corrections. Justice Arbour recommended judicial oversight of segregation and the ability for prisoners to return to court for remedies for correctional mismanagement.
The government’s own data reveals that conditions of segregation persist in federal penitentiaries, a violation of Canadian and international law that creates and exacerbates disabling mental health issues.
What concrete steps are you taking to instruct Correctional Service Canada, or CSC, to implement these now three-decade-old recommendations of the Arbour inquiry?
I will repeat what I said earlier with respect to the new commissioner. I do have a great deal of faith in the commissioner to undertake a number of important discussions and reforms.
The implementation of and adherence to international human rights law are critically important to me. In fact, one of the things that I would like to see — and I know it will require a longer path — is that Canada adheres to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, or OPCAT, an area that is essential to those who are in prisons. Of course, there is work to do before that can be fully adopted and implemented. I look forward to the work that needs to be done. I know there are no easy overnight solutions, but certainly, I think —
Thank you, minister.
