QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Justice
Overrepresentation of Indigenous People in Prisons
May 28, 2026
Thank you for that.
In 2015, 35% of women in prison were Indigenous. Today, despite Canada’s missed Truth and Reconciliation Commission commitment to eliminate overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in prison by 2025, 50% of women in federal prisons are Indigenous.
Through Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action No. 32, Canada also committed to ensuring that mandatory minimum penalties no longer interfere with courts’ obligations to prioritize community-based alternatives to prisons under section 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code.
Bill C-16 does not reflect this commitment.
I trust your plan cannot be to further increase incarceration of Indigenous women survivors of violence, so the obvious question is: What is the timeline for implementing Call to Action No. 32?
There is a series of different measures that we intend to put in place to help address some of these challenges, including a direction to the court in Bill C-16, where appropriate and applicable, to move forward with restorative justice initiatives where that will best serve the interests of justice in a given set of circumstances.
In addition, we want to better equip actors within the justice system to understand, from a trauma-informed approach, how to deal with the complexities that will sometimes lead to the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples who come before the court and who engage with law enforcement and who, in many instances, are underserved by the justice system despite that overrepresentation.
I don’t have a date on the calendar circled with respect to your specific question, but it’s an effort that we need to continue to work toward continuously every day —
Thank you, Mr. Minister.
