Media Room

Letter - CAEFS

Dr. Ailsa M. Watkinson
President
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
701 - 151 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5H3
       

Dear Dr. Watkinson,

 I am writing in response to your letters of February 9 and March 7, 2005 and news release of March 8, 2005 in connection with the Commission’s response to the action plan released by the Correctional Service of Canada on February 17, 2005.

 I want to assure you that the Commission is very committed to its responsibility to federally sentenced women. A great deal of work went into the preparation of our report,  Protecting Their Rights: A Systemic Review of Human Rights in Correctional Services for Federally Sentenced Women, and we stand by what we believe to be sound recommendations which will address the systemic problems identified in the report.  It is important to note that the primary responsibility for implementation of the recommendations rests with the Correctional Service.   
 
 When the Commission was approached by the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies about the preparation of a special report, it was agreed this was preferable to the traditional complaint investigation option as it would enable us to examine the issues from a broad systemic perspective, identify systemic barriers and put forward recommendations to address them.  At that time, the Commission emphasized that the limitation of a special report is that the Commission does not have the legal authority to ensure that the recommendations are implemented.  The Commission welcomes all organizations concerned with the interests of federally sentenced women to participate in the process of implementation of the recommendations by providing ongoing feedback to the Correctional Service and sharing that information with the Commission and other agencies.

 We believe that the Commission’s decision to work collaboratively and respectfully with the Service rather than only in an adversarial fashion has been and will continue to be more productive and  will benefit federally sentenced women. It is the Commission’s strong view that when there is progress in furthering human rights within organizations, it should be acknowledged to support continued effort.  Far too often in areas of public policy, only the negative is emphasised.  This will too often discourage the  forces of positive change within organizations and inhibit constructive dialogue so necessary to foster improved mutual understanding.

 In line with the Commission’s new emphasis on preventing discrimination, we have established a Prevention Program to assist organizations in establishing a culture of human rights.  It is based on the principle that a respectful and ongoing dialogue is the key to advancing human rights and that by working in a constructive and collaborative manner more progress can be made. 

 I appreciate your offer to have the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, Kim Pate, meet with Commission staff to discuss our mutual interests related to federally sentenced women.  My officials will be in touch with Kim Pate to discuss how our organizations can work together.

  I note that you copied your letters to a number of organizations, some of which were not identified by name.  To ensure transparency, this response will be available on our web site so that the Commission’s viewpoint on the matters you have raised will be clear to Canadians generally and to all other interested parties.  

       Yours sincerely,

       Mary Gusella

cc Correctional Service of Canada
    Office of the Correctional Investigator