Certainly, in terms of the women I know, the provisions as they currently exist.... Some women are already not eligible for reviews because they were involved with groups of people in situations that resulted in more than one murder conviction. In a context where they may not have been the primary actor, they nevertheless were and are being held accountable.
It would be my respectful submission that most people, including those who work with them in corrections, would be of the view that their risk to the community is not great. However, because they're in the situation of having been convicted of two.... In one of the cases, she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in both cases to avoid having her children testify in that context. She is now facing a situation of no eligibility for judicial review. And I think that's a significant challenge.
There aren't great numbers, because the numbers of women are smaller than the numbers of men. But certainly, in terms of indigenous women, there are women who are coming up who.... It remains to be seen what challenge it will be. But certainly a number of them are very young. And the ability to have access to a review and to be able to go out at a time when they have.... They were at a very impressionable age when they started in the system. Even though some of them have had only five, six, or seven years in, many are already describing that really what they need to be doing is working to get out and be in the community. The prospect of them spending until they're almost my age in prison, with no appreciable opportunity for post-secondary education, for an ability to move out and contribute in the community, is at great human, social, and fiscal cost, I would say, to taxpayers.