Clarity needed on prison farm program, says CSC

Re: “Scandal brewing over feds’ prison farm plan,” (The Hill Times, March 8, online). We wanted to provide clarifications regarding a piece published in the Hill Times, including more information on Correctional Service Canada’s (CSC) penitentiary farms in the Kingston area. We hope that the information is useful to readers. CSC announced on March 5 that it was pausing the planned dairy goat program because of the financial impacts of COVID-19 on the Service’s operations, but that CSC is continuing its dairy cow program, already in development. The decision was taken after careful consideration of the continued impacts of the pandemic. The piece published states that plans were already established for a large goat dairy program, whose milk would be supplied for export. In fact, CSC has not yet procured any dairy goats, nor has it entered into any negotiations or contracts with any potential buyers of goat milk. The program is not yet started and speculation as to how it will be operated is not grounded in fact. As part of CSC’s offender employment program, the penitentiary farm dairy program results from extensive consultation with the local farming community, with primary consideration given to the benefits for participants, notably in terms of skills development. The article also states that a large dairy operation would not provide employment benefits for offenders who work on the program. However, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2.3 million people were employed in the agriculture and agri-food system across Canada in 2018. Food and beverage processing sales totalled $114.9-billion, nearly $15-million (13 per cent) of which were generated by the dairy industry. CSC’s CORCAN agriculture program is designed to reflect various portions of Canadian agriculture, which we are proud to represent in the options that we offer our program participants. In addition to the dairy operations, the penitentiary farms offer on-the-job training in other diverse parts of the farming industry, including crop production, horticulture, beekeeping, maple syrup production, fence repair, green zone and environmental activities, forestry management, and livestock care and operations. CSC trains and certifies offenders to work in this sector and CSC farms also prepare offenders to work in other industries. The program provides transferable skills as well as helps them build essential skills for employment, such as communication and teamwork. CSC’s CORCAN agriculture program also offers offenders a chance to give back to the local community. In fact, offenders involved in crop production grow vegetables for their own consumption, as well as for donation to the local food bank. This includes growing a row in these gardens to contribute to Loving Spoonful, a charitable organization in the Kingston community. CSC has been gradually implementing the penitentiary farm program since 2018. It has provided federal offenders with various employment program assignments related to agricultural operations and has enabled them to earn 247 vocational certifications. Providing employment, vocational training, and employability skills to both men and women offenders supports their rehabilitation and helps lower rates of reoffending. This is in direct support of CSC's mandate to enhance public safety by helping offenders become productive, law-abiding citizens, and skilled workers when they return to the community. We welcome any future opportunities to provide information about any of our operations. Isabelle Robitaille Acting manager, issue management and media relations Communications and Engagement Sector Correctional Service Canada

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Clarity needed on prison farm program, says CSC

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