The Correctional Service Canada has confirmed to True North that it is investigating the potential distribution of a Government of Canada-branded election material in prisons.
First highlighted by Conservative MP Larry Brock via X, the election flyer contained numerous talking points meant to sway inmates against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. According to Brock, it was allegedly handed out on prison grounds.
The document titled “Conservative Pierre Poilievre Policy” argues in the first line that the Conservative party’s crime policy “will ensure inmates will live in the most severe conditions allowed by law and ensure justice is served to all victims of crime.”
In a statement to True North, a Correctional Service Canada spokesperson said that as a public body, it does not “provide analysis or perspectives” on politics to inmates.
“While inmates have the right to vote and we provide access to political party information and contacts, and to Elections Canada, the Correctional Service of Canada does not provide analysis or perspectives on political parties to offenders, nor do we support circulating such information under the Government of Canada wordmark,” said the spokesperson.
The document lists three Conservative policy proposals on crime, the three-strikes law, life sentences for serious offences and less funding for federal prisons.
Under the proposed “three strikes” law, individuals convicted of three serious offences would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, without the possibility of bail or standard parole.
To be released after the 10-year minimum, inmates would have to pass all urinalysis tests.
The final point—presented with vague details—claims that Poilievre’s Conservatives would cut funding to all federal prisons. It states: “Inmates in maximum security must wear orange jumpsuits, TVs must be displaced, and funding must be lowered.”
Correctional Service Canada told True North that after checking with their wardens, this document is “not currently” in circulation, and “if any of these types of documents are created and circulated, they will be immediately seized/removed.”
The department did not respond to follow-up questions regarding whether the document was in circulation at a prior date.