The Liberal opposition promised it will reverse the Conservative decision to close Canada’s prison farm system.
“When the Liberal Party of Canada gets to the other side of this House, when we come into power, we will restore the prison farm system,” Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland said Dec. 1. “We will undo the damage that was done here.”
The Conservatives have closed prison farms, sold off dairy herds and closed down dairies and greenhouses that supplied food to prisoners and local communities.
They argued the prison farms are an anachronism, teaching job skills no longer needed in a modern economy. The vast majority of prison farm graduates do not find work on farms.
Holland did not explain how the decision can be reversed since the herds have been sold and the operations closed down.
Last week, the Liberals provoked a debate on the prison farm issue by calling for discussion of a parliamentary committee report, which said prison farm closings should be put on hold until an expert committee studies the issue and gets a clear rational from the government.
The debate clearly irritated the government.
Regina MP Tom Lukiwski, parliamentary secretary to the Government House Leader, argued the issue is irrelevant to Canadians. Their priority is the economy.
“Rather than debating the budget, rather than moving forward with the priority not only of this government but all Canadians, the opposition today decides to waste three hours of House time debating prison farms,” he complained.
The Liberals argued that working on prison farms teaches prisoners work ethic, discipline and responsibility.
Holland said it also teaches them empathy for animals that makes them more sympathetic to other humans.
“It lets them build the compassion that comes from working with another living thing. As we have seen in research from other jurisdictions, this type of work is now the leading edge of making sure that when inmates are released, they do not re-offend,” he said.
The Conservatives insisted that the prison farm system has lost its relevance and claimed it cost taxpayers $4 million annually.
“Canada’s prison farms have a long history of imparting skills that have enabled some offenders to find employment in the agricultural sector,” Kamloops, B.C. area Conservative MP Cathy McLeod, designated Conservative responder, said in the Commons debate. “However, the government believes that it must move forward and provide programming that meets the needs of the 21st century.”
