To date, the women have received two visits from representatives from the Correctional Service of Canada, both within a few weeks of each other in the late autumn. Their only other external visitors have been the staff of the Elizabeth Fry Society du Quebec and me. Despite valiant efforts on the part of the Société Elizabeth Fry du Quebec, the women have very little access to services and programs, and virtually all of the material available to them, as limited as that is, until very recently, was only available in French.

With virtually nothing to do, tensions have run high in the unit and there was a serious assault in late 2003 and a number of other altercations have occurred before and since then. Suffice it to say that the women are anxious to be out of the unit, and some are not very keen on being returned to Ontario. Indeed, several have moved and others are attempting to gain access to the segregated maximum security unit at Joliette.

At Joliette, six of the ten women in the segregated maximum security unit as of January 2004 were Anglophone women, who are not from Quebec. As we have discussed in the past, it is quite clear that CSC is transferring many women whom they define as difficult to manage to Quebec. The contrast between the Joliette and other segregated maximum security units is clear and striking. The women at the Joliette Institution have far greater access to each other, programs, as well as to the rest of the institution. In addition, it is the only institution where we have not seen women routinely being moved within or outside the unit fully shackled and with two security escorts.

It is not surprising, therefore, that more women are seeking access to the institution, despite the reality of the limitations that exist with respect to their access to programs and services in English. This is even the case for Aboriginal women who recognize the choice to remain in Quebec will mean much more limited access to Aboriginal programming. Since this lack of access to Aboriginal programs is not acceptable, EFS Quebec continues to work with the women inside to assist them in grieving and remedying this situation.

In light of the issues that were raised before the Canadian Human Rights Commission, as well as the relative success of the court action taken in Ontario to prevent the construction of the segregated maximum security unit in Kingston Penitentiary, CAEFS continues to examine the possibility of working with other groups in order to influence, legally or otherwise, current plans for federally sentenced women in British Columbia. Moreover, the treatment of women classified as maximum security prisoners amplifies the vital role and urgent need for our Regional Advocates to document extensively and obtain releases and all relevant documents regarding security classification, charges, punishments (especially the use of force and segregation) and transfers (especially involuntary and/or emergency transfers), the impact of CSC’s policy regarding the placement of prisoners convicted of first and second degree murder in maximum security prisons for a minimum of two years, and any other matters involving the curtailing of women’s liberty interests.