XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ont.politics   
   XPost: man.politics, sk.politics   
   From: gregcarrsober@gmail.com   
      
   On 27/05/2014 6:29 PM, "{>_<} Раиса" <"{>_ @nyet.ca> wrote:   
   > So much for their 'tough on crime' agenda . . .  Judges are against it,   
   > the supreme court is against it, and now the prison guards themselves   
   > are against it.   
   > Nice job, Harper. You couldn't learn from the American experience, could   
   > you?   
   > _____________________________________________   
   >   
   > Global News - May 26, 2014   
   >   
   > ‘These guys have to get out’: Prison guards union to campaign against   
   > Conservatives   
   >   
   >   
   > OTTAWA – The union representing Canada’s prison guards is gearing up to   
   > campaign against the law-and-order Harper government in the next election.   
   >   
   > For the first time in 15 years, the union will urge its 7,500 members to   
   > vote ABC – Anything but Conservative.   
   > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
   >   
   >   
   > “These guys have to get out,” said Jason Godin, national vice-president   
   > at the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.   
   >   
   > “They’ve done more damage in three years than any government has done in   
   > our entire history.”   
   >   
   > Although the union’s constitution forbids the guards from endorsing   
   > political parties, Godin said he will be encouraging his members to vote   
   > against Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives in 2015.   
   >   
   > “We will be actively gearing up to campaign against the Harper   
   > government,” he said.   
   >   
   > “We’re going to be going right into their ridings. We’ll be very   
   > visible, we’ll be challenging them up front.”   
   >   
   > Related Stories   
   > Prison guards rally against crime agenda at prime minister’s   
   > constituency office   
   > Federal cuts threaten public safety, warn unions for prison, border guards   
   > Prison guards protest prison funding announcement   
   >   
   > The union’s complaints stem from what it claims are increasingly   
   > dangerous working conditions such as overcrowding and double-bunking.   
   >   
   > Earlier this month, Auditor General Michael Ferguson reported that some   
   > of Canada’s prisons are already operating over-capacity, and a planned   
   > expansion will leave them overcrowded again in a few years.   
   >   
   > “We’re reaching crisis proportions in terms of double-bunking, and [the   
   > government] just completely ignores all the research,” said Godin.   
   >   
   > The government begs to differ.   
   >   
   > A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney cites statements   
   > from CSC Commissioner Don Head saying there is no link between violence   
   > and double bunking.   
   >   
   > “Studies show that double-bunking does not have any link to violence. It   
   > doesn’t take a social scientist to see that those behind bars for   
   > violent crimes may behave violently,” Jean-Christophe de La Rue wrote in   
   > an email.   
      
    From my own experiences with double bunking I can say that it does lead   
   to violence. I never had a violent encounter while in custody but I came   
   close a couple of times because of double bunking.   
   >   
   > But the study also found that while double-bunking in the Prairie region   
   > more than doubled to 27 per cent in July 2012 from 12 per cent in 2009;   
   > incident rates increased by 70 per cent during the same period. It also   
   > says that “crowding affects the level of stress experienced by the   
   > offender and reduces the availability of programming.”   
   >   
   > The union also takes issue with changes to the Canada Labour Code   
   > introduced in last year’s omnibus budget bill.   
   >   
   > The changes shrink the definition of danger to exclude potential hazards   
   > and “future activity” and gives more discretion over health and safety   
   > to the minister.   
   >   
   > Godin said the government has yet to consult with the union on major   
   > changes since becoming a majority in 2011.   
   >   
   > “When they get tough on crime, they get tough on correctional officers,”   
   > said Godin.   
   >   
   > “At the same time they’re making our working conditions get more   
   > dangerous, they’re gutting the Canada Labour Code, which is the most   
   > important piece of protection that we have.”   
   >   
   > Godin said in the long run, it is Canadians who will suffer.   
   >   
   > “In ten years time, Canadians are gonna go, ‘Oh my God what just   
   > happened?’ Because all of those people they’re putting in jail, guess   
   > what? 80 per cent of them are going to get out.”   
      
      
   --   
   *Read and obey the Bible*   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)