On November 30, 2021, the John Howard Society of Canada submitted a Charter application challenging the exclusion of federal prisoners from the definition of “insured person” in the Canada Health Act.
Among other things, the application alleges the exclusion violates federal prisoners’ section 7, 12 and 15 Charter rights in addition to the section being ultra vires federal government jurisdiction.
Read the statement of claim below or review media coverage on the inadequacies of healthcare inside Canadian prisons at the bottom of this page.
An Easy Read version of the statement of claim:
The formal claim, as submitted to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
Final Statement of Claim Nov 30 (1)
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Should you wish to discuss this issue further, or, if you are seeking an interview, please email clatimer@nulljohnhoward.ca
News Coverage
CBC Investigates: This man is on his deathbed because of the health care he received in prison, lawsuit alleges
Office of the Correctional Investigator
MacLean’s: Houses of hate: How Canada’s prison system is broken
Ottawa Citizen: Canada’s universal health care stops at the gates of federal prisons
Law Times: Human rights sacrificed for security in federal prisons, stronger oversight needed: Senate report
Lawyer’s Daily: Prescription for public safety nightmare
The McGill Daily: Inhumane Conditions At Edmonton Max
McMaster University Graduate Research: There’s a health care crisis in Canada’s federal prisons, says Global Health grad