B’nai Brith confirms prisoners can continue to seek spiritual council of their own faith

This has to be the most painfully contrived and pitiful attempt to exonerate the Conservative government I’ve ever read. *Of course* inmates in Canadian prisons “will not be forced to seek spiritual guidance solely from Christian ministers.” They are not “forced,” and never have been, to seek spiritual guidance from any clergy from any religion.

But according to the undeniable cuts to part-time chaplains (non-Christian) made by Toews, inmates may seek guidance from clergy of any faith, so long as the government no longer pays for it. In other words, faith communities, including Jewish, will from now have to supply chaplains to prisons at no cost to Ottawa.
“B’nai Brith Canada has received assurances from Minister Vic Toews that inmates of all faith traditions will continue to be ministered to by chaplains representing their own religion.”
YES — but Toews still cut all 69 part-time chaplains – including Jewish ones!
“We have been advised that the volunteer chaplain and full-time chaplaincy programs will continue and that these programs are ministered by representatives of all faith groups.”
YES – the operative word being “volunteer.” Non-Christian chaplains henceforth may indeed volunteer their time in prisons. Those not so inclined will look toward their own faith communities to subsidize their work, as Ottawa has bowed out and left non-Christian inmates, who were served by these part-time chaplains, effectively on their own. They will now have to look to the full-time chaplains for spiritual guidance (or just go without). Of the 75 full-time federal prison chaplains, 37 are Roman Catholic, 36 are Protestant, and two are Muslim.

So, thanks B’nai Brith, for throwing the 80 or so Jews in federal prisons under the bus to curry favour with the Tories (I’m suspecting that BBC won’t be ponying up the money for Jewish chaplains).
Canadian rabbis have called on Ottawa to reconsider these cuts. Many of them are supporters of the Conservatives.
Had a Liberal government done this, Frank Dimant would be screaming blue murder.