EDMONTON, AB – June 26, 2026 – Earlier this month, the new commissioner of Correctional Service Canada (CSC), Talal Dakalbab, announced that CSC will not be phasing out librarians and library workers in federal prisons. This decision was informed by the response of the library community and other concerned Canadians, who called for CSC to uphold its legal and ethical obligation to meet the information needs of our incarcerated community members.
GELA and the Prison Libraries Project are happy to see the impact of advocacy in action and are thankful to the library and broader community for their quick response to CSC’s proposal. We hope to see a positive impact from Dakalbab’s commitment to supporting prison libraries as well as healing lodges, and greater community support for people at the end of their sentence.
Natasha D’Amours, GELA President
On behalf of the PLP and GELA Executive Committee
gela.ca 