April 2026
Amending the Coroners Act
Within recently proposed tough on crime legislation came a number of regressive changes to the Canadian legal and prison system, and it’s associated processes. Among these are changes to the Coroners Act to remove the requirements for mandatory inquests to be conducted following non-natural deaths in custody, to be replaced by an annual report. This change has been presented as a cost reducing measure that will streamline processes by eliminating the need for witnesses, jurors, and costs associated with inquests. What is plainly says is that incarcerated people do not matter, and penal institutions are above the law. There [...]
Need for Research and Data for Bail/Sentencing Reform
The Federal Government is planning to introduce legislation related to bail and sentencing reforms this fall. They will continue to expand reverse-onus bail measures and add “femicide” as an aggravating factor in murder sentencing. The CRPOI network has been asked to identify important research and data related to these issues to ensure research-backed evidence informs debates and draft legislation. CRPOI is requesting relevant data, reports, briefs, and empirical outputs on bail, reverse-onus bail effects, sentencing, impacts of mandatory minimums, and gendered/intimate-partner homicide (including research on femicide and transformative alternatives to tough on crime/carceral measures). Please send any outputs (your own, [...]
SAVE THE DATE! Understanding Canada’s 2nd Tough on Crime Wave A CRPOI Webinar
Join CRPOI on Thursday January 15th at 9am PST/ 12pm EST/ 1pm AST for a national webinar where we will unpack and address Canada’s current openly ‘tough on crime’ approach by deeply diving into the erosions of our constitution and many fundamental legal rights and principles that are being swept beneath new legislation such as Bill C -16 – framed publicly to protect women, children, and victims of crime. In addition, we will come together to collectively imagine mobilization strategies and solutions. Speakers and further information to follow!
CAEFS Federal Budget Lock-Up & Analysis
In addition to responding to the OCI 2024-2025 Annual Report, CAEFS has also prepared an analysis of the 2025 Government of Canada Budget. In early November, Co-Executive Director of CAEFS, Nyki Kish, attended the federal budget lock-up, where policy analysists, journalists, and other individuals and organizations with a vested interest can get accurate information about the budget before it is officially released to the public. From this information, CAEFS has published an official response to the 2025 budget, highlighting the troubling implications it has towards Canada’s legal and prison system, criminalized women and gender diverse people, and public safety [...]
CAEFS response to the Office of the Correctional Investigator 2024-2025 Annual Report
With this fall came the release of the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s (OCI) 2024-2025 report, which can be found here: https://oci-bec.gc.ca/en/reports/annual. The OCI report accompanies the early retirement of Dr. Ivan Zinger, who has spoken out about the government’s failure to act as his primary reason for early departure from the role. The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) published an official response to the report, which underscores the urgent need for change in the Canadian Prison system – particularly responding to the OCI report’s focus on how prisons produce trauma and make existing mental health conditions [...]