Submission received by North Shore. We are an anti-authoritarian news platform and so don’t share this submission’s goal of socialist revolution, but we are reposting it in a spirit of solidarity.

A day of action is being held today across the country in solidarity with the prisoners at Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Saskatchewan. Among the organisations taking part are the Communist Workers Front (Organising Committee), the Revolutionary Studies Committee – Ottawa, Beyond Prison Walls, Industrial Workers of the World – Montreal, and Food not Bombs – Saskatoon, as well as sympathising individuals elsewhere in the country.

For several weeks now, Faith Eagle, a prisoner of the centre, has been leading a hunger strike demanding an end to racist abuse from the guards, access to clean and safe drinking water, and access to timely medical treatment.

Pine Grove Correctional Centre has a long history of torture and murder of its prisoners. The most brutal of these has been the case of Joline Jacques last year. Jacques was pepper sprayed, tear gassed, stripped naked, forced into a cold shower, and was left on the cement until her body turned blue.

The December 16 day of action is meant to aid Faith Eagle and other prisoners at Pine Grove in their fight. The following demands are raised:

1. Right to self determination of Indigenous nations;

2. Need for timely access to medical treatment. Prisoners who need medical help, or who express being sick or in pain need to be able to receive proper and timely medical attention;

3. Improve the quality of drinking water;

4. End the murder and abuse of prisoners at Pine Grove Correctional Centre. Fire and charge those who tortured Joline Jacques.

However, while we believe these demands must be met, we do not believe they are sufficient to end the double exploitation and oppression of working women or the oppression of the Indigenous nations. What is required is socialist revolution.

About us: Communist Workers Front (Organizing Committee) is a national organization of workers fighting against imperialism. We are based in most major cities of the country and have had campaigns around May 1st (International Worker’s Day) as well as for March 8th (International Working Women’s Day). As part of the attack on imperialism we combat settler-colonialism as it oppresses Indigenous nations.

1. https://communistworkers.wordpress.com/2022/11/28/support-faith-eagle-in-her-struggle/