QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Overrepresentation of Indigenous People in Prisons
March 26, 2026
In 1996, the year the Arbour report came out, 23% of female offenders in Canada’s federal institutions were identified as Aboriginal. The last time I was at the Edmonton Institution for Women, a full 70% of the inmates were Indigenous, even though less than 7% of Albertans identify as Indigenous.
Recent government legislation, such as Bill C-14, risks making the crisis of overrepresentation even worse. What substantive steps is your government going to take to reduce the disproportionate incarceration of Indigenous women?
Senator Simons, I know that you were there yesterday when the Minister of Justice was at the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, and he broadly answered that question. He is very well aware of the overpopulation and overrepresentation of Indigenous women in the system.
The government is aware of that reality, but justice outcomes are often shaped long before someone enters the justice system, and that is why the government is investing in housing and other programs to —
Thank you, Senator Moreau.
