Canada’s population of farmers will soon decline by about 300.
That’s how many inmates work on prison farms at six federal correctional institutions across the country.
The federal government recently announced plans to shut down the prison farms, saying they do not provide inmates with rehabilitation or useful skills for today’s job market.
It also said the farms incurred a net annual loss of about $4 million.
The inmates produce foods such as milk, eggs, meat and vegetables, which are used in the prisons and often find their way into local food banks.
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The decision to close the farms prompted criticism and protests, particularly in the areas where the prison farms are located.
Critics said the government’s reasons were an insult to farmers and demeaned the value of agriculture. They also said the farms provide a service to the prisons and local communities.
Public safety minister Peter Van Loan rejected suggestions that the closure of the farms reflects a negative view of agriculture or farmers.
“This is not our intent,” he said, adding it’s simply a fact that the type of agriculure practised on the prison farms is totally unrelated to modern high-technology, capital intensive agriculture.
A spokesperson from Van Loan’s office said the federal government will not reconsider its plans.
As part of a regular review of programming, the department of correctional services announced in February its intention to close the farms over the next two years.
Van Loan said in statement e-mailed to The Western Producer that money saved as a result of the closures will be spent on programs that provide more relevant and practical employment skills to inmates.
“Almost none of those spending time on prison farms ultimately find employment in the agriculture sector,” he said.
He added the closures will also enable prisons to buy more food from local farmers, rather then compete against them.
The announcement triggered a wave of complaints on websites, in newspaper editorials and from some farm groups.
More than 200 people attended a March 19 public protest rally in Kingston, Ont., in support of the prison farms. Kingston is home to two of them.
The National Farmers Union also weighed in, describing the decision to close the farms as a shortsighted move.
Union president Stewart Wells said the government’s attitude seems to be that farming doesn’t require skill or professionalism and suggests that farming is an outmoded and irrelevant activity.
“Both suggestions are completely false,” he said, and urged the government to expand and enhance the prison farms.
