Toews on prison farms: Thanks, but no thanks

Protesters wave to honking cars outside the Correctional Service Canada regional headquarters in Kingston, Ont., as they demonstrate against prison farm closures. (Lars Hagberg/Canadian Press)

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has tabled his response to a House of Commons committee report on prison farms. It can be summarized with the words, "Sorry, but no."

The initial report, presented six months ago, called on Toews to table an internal strategic review of the farm system. Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) officials referred to in testimony before the committee on March 25, and MPs on the committee wanted to see the entire report.

But in a letter to committee chair Garry Breitkreuz, Toews explained he is unable to table the document because it remains subject to Cabinet confidence.

The committee had asked the minister to "refrain from taking any steps to sell, dismantle or reduce operations at any of Canada's prison farms in any way, until independent experts have had an opportunity to fully review the value of the farm program." 

Well, CSC continued to phase out of prison farms all summer.

Toews wrote in his letter to the committee that CSC will continue to phase out the programs as planned: "The intention is to better address the employment needs and realities of offenders in an effort to reduce recidivism and increase their chances of successfully reintegrating into society."

Toews says less than 1per cent of offenders got jobs in agriculture between 2005 and 2009. He concludes his letter by thanking committee members for their diligent and important work.