(LifeSiteNews) — In a press release issued Wednesday, Quebec’s Public Security Minister François Bonnardel announced that gender-confused inmates will be sent to incarceration facilities based on their sex, not the gender they identify with.
“The Quebec government is ensuring equity in the treatment of all inmates,” Bonnardel said. “Safety must always come first, for the benefit of correctional officers, our fellow citizens and incarcerated people.”
According to The Montreal Gazette, offenders who are confused about whether they are a man or woman previously were allowed to request to be placed in a male or female facility of their preference.
The outlet noted that the change means that such requests will no longer be allowed, though criminals who are confused about their sex will still be able to identify as the gender they wish and that accommodations will be made “to respect their rights and circumstances.”
READ: Female prisoner describes horror of being incarcerated with gender-confused men
As reported by LifeSite in April of this year, Correctional Services Canada announced that Mohamad Al Ballouz, who brutally killed his wife and two children in 2022, would be sent to a men’s prison, despite claiming to be a woman.
Ballouz, a 38-year-old man from Quebec, was found guilty of second-degree murder. Defending its decision to send Ballouz to a male facility, CSC said “when there are overriding health and safety concerns, the request is denied and alternatives are put in place to meet the offender’s gender‑related needs at the institution where they are incarcerated.”
During his trial, Ballouz claimed to be a woman and demanded that he be referred to as “Levana,” a change which was made after he was charged for his crimes. Notably, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC’s) report of the case referred to Ballouz as a “she” and used his fake name.
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party platform had sought to ensure male criminals who claim to be gender-confused and identify as women would not be sent to female prisons.
Bonnardel’s statement additionally noted that, “as with all inmates, security assessments will continue to be conducted upon admission to determine the appropriate classification.”
