This case is a challenge brought by five women and two infants against the warden’s decision at the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women (ACCW) to terminate the institution’s mother-infant program. As a result of the cancellation, infants of single mothers who are incarcerated at ACCW are apprehended by the state. This has significant effects on both the mothers and the infants. Infants are deprived of the possibility of being breast fed by their mothers, which has negative implications for their health. They are also deprived of the opportunity to bond with their mothers, which negatively impacts their psychological integrity and development.
The BCCLA intervened in this case and argued that removing children from their mother’s care has serious implications for the section 7 Charter rights of both mothers and children. Section 15 equality rights are also implicated in this context, due to the disproportionate impact of the cancellation on women and Aboriginal mothers, children and communities.
