Kim Pate, our Executive Director, continues to challenge and energize all of us. I have enjoyed working with Kim throughout this past year and I wish to recognize and thank her for her efforts and commitment to our organization. Kim has brought a national and international face and voice to CAEFS. She has been at the forefront of our accomplishments and has summarized these in her report below.

Kim was at the forefront of CAEFS’ move forward to join with other women’s groups domestically and internationally in our commitment to equality and justice for women. CAEFS was able to bring together members of national women’s groups to discuss, debate and develop a joint position and we have now formally prepared our response to the Department of Justice’s proposal for legislative changes to the law of self-defence, provocation and mandatory minimum sentences. The benefits of consulting with these groups of women reach far beyond the formulation of united policies and positions. Our coalitions with other equality seeking groups helps push the women’s movement forward to achieve greater equality and justice for women in many areas and across a multitude of issues.

This year, we will finally see the end of the Prison for Women after approximately 60 years of calls for its closure. In this coming year, CAEFS will focus on CSC’s “Intervention Strategy” for the movement of women classified as maximum security back into the regional prisons. We want to ensure that the these women do not continue to be held in punitive and isolated circumstances. We will also challenge CSC to eliminate the harsh conditions that will continue to face women in the segregated maximum security units in men’s prisons until they are moved to the regional prisons.