Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies

10/27/2026

10/27/2026

What does access to justice week mean in a country that allows people with wrongful convictions to languish? The horrors produced by wrongful convictions are irreversible, harming not just the impacted individuals, but their families, and public trust in the administration of law. Being put into a prison for something you did not do creates an unimaginable experience of suffering for the person subjected to it, and leaves victims of crime without closure or healing. In 2024, Canada passed legislation to address the fact that compared to other nations globally, Canada had a virtually no legal safeguards to protect against wrongful convictions. Despite that law passing almost 2 years ago, the legislation has not been operationalized. This access to justice week we ask you to learn about wrongful convictions and ask your elected officials to act on Bill C 40.

10/22/2026

Today, as a member organization of the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice, CAEFS met with the Governor General of Canada, her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, where we facilitated a discussion across organizations leading Canada’s reintegrative sector, about the state of the Canadian prison system, and the role our sector plays in building meaningful solutions to the many complex problems within it. In what was described as a pivotal moment for Canada, we collectively affirmed our commitment to this country’s longstanding principle of public safety through reintegration. From the mass incarceration of Indigenous Peoples, to the fact that one person on average per week is dying in custody in Canada at the average age of 44 years old, to rampant overcrowding nationally, to many public “tough on crime” narratives, today we face an occasion to rise to. 30 years ago, Canada’s current Governor General rose to a different pivotal moment, when she authored the report for the Commission of Into Certain Events at the Prison for Women in Kingston. Her findings led to the Creating Choices task force, which CAEFS co chaired, and a subsequent transformation of Canadian penitentiaries designated for women. Presently, women and Indigenous people are the fastest rising prison population, and the prisons built from this report are crumbling from the pressure of more and more people being sent into them. It is our social responsibly to do our best to to resolve this, by advancing public awareness, sound legislation, effective processes for reintegration, and by building safe, well-resourced communities for all. CAEFS profoundly thanks the Governor General of Canada for her legacy of upholding the human and legal rights of criminalized women, and beyond, and for taking the time to meet with the NAACJ today.

10/21/2026

Women and gender-diverse people’s rights. A stronger economy.

Canada cannot reach its full potential while women and gender-diverse people face barriers to safety, employment, fair pay and advancement.

National Women’s Rights Organizations work to remove those barriers through research, legal expertise, policy analysis and advocacy.

Lasting change, the kind of change required to push back against regressive movements and continue to be thought leaders and change makers, needs sustained and flexible funding- not project based funding alone.

In addition to investment in the realization of the promise of the National Action Plan to end Gender-Based Violence, we are calling for Budget 2025 to commit $10 million annually for five years, beginning in 2027-28, to support our organizations to create systemic change. That’s a $50 million investment in women and gender-diverse people’s rights and a stronger and more inclusive economy.

Swipe to learn more and to meet the 10 organizations calling for this investment. Share this post to help bring the message to Parliament.

10/09/2026

Please swipe through for our analysis, in brief, of the important Supreme Court of Canada Decision, R v Cope, released today!

10/09/2026

Swipe through for our analysis in brief of the R v Cope decision - released today.

09/26/2026

A new annual report just dropped!!!

CAEFS membership just gathered virtually for our 48th AGM. Although our work is facing increasing obstacles and challenges, we were united in our steadfast commitment to ensuring that the issues faced by criminalized women and gender diverse people are addressed through concrete action.

Here is a peak at our annual report with original art throughout, created by our members at our last gathering. If you want to see the full annual report you can follow the link on our linktree to our website where this year and previous year’s annual reports are found.

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Un nouveau rapport annuel vient d’être publié!

Les membres de l’ACSEF viennent de se réunir virtuellement à l’occasion de notre 48e assemblée générale annuelle. Bien que notre travail se heurte à des obstacles et à des défis de plus en plus nombreux, nous sommes restés unis dans notre engagement inébranlable à faire en sorte que les problèmes auxquels sont confrontées les femmes et les personnes de diverses identités de genre criminalisées soient traités par des mesures concrètes.

Voici un aperçu de notre rapport annuel, illustré d’œuvres d’art originales créées par nos membres lors de notre dernière rencontre. Si vous souhaitez consulter le rapport annuel dans son intégralité, vous pouvez suivre le lien sur notre Linktree menant à notre site Web, où vous trouverez les rapports annuels de cette année et des années précédentes.

09/25/2026

CAEFS was so pleased to be asked to participate on a panel at the AGM for the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto. We discussed what it takes to ensure safe communities and how to challenge existing systems that produce or reproduce harm. It is always a pleasure to learn from all of you. Congratulations on another great year doing essential work!

Check out the second picture for their beautiful annual report created by one of their past program participants 😍.

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L’ACSEF a été très heureux d’avoir été invité à participer à une table ronde lors de l’assemblée générale annuelle de la Société Elizabeth Fry de Toronto. Nous avons discuté des mesures à prendre pour garantir la sécurité des collectivités et de la manière de remettre en question les systèmes existants qui perpétuent les préjudices. C’est toujours un plaisir d’apprendre à vos côtés. Félicitations pour cette nouvelle année remarquable au service d’une travail essentielle.

Jetez un coup d’œil à la deuxième photo pour découvrir leur magnifique rapport annuel, réalisé par l’un des anciens participants à leur programme. 😍

08/08/2026

Our hearts and spirits are with everyone impacted by this loss of three lives. CAEFS staff and volunteers are working to provide enhanced support to federally sentenced women at the Edmonton Institution for Women, the Okimaw Ochoa Healing Lodge, and across the country in the aftermath of this tragedy.