On May 26, 2014, the Leclerc de Laval Detention Centre was opened. Having closed its doors a year ago, the federal prison Leclerc in Laval is now a provincial detention centre. Ms. Lise Thériault (deputy prime minister, Sécurité publique), was present at the opening of the Leclerc de Laval Detention Centre, as well as Ms. Francine Charbonneau (minister responsible for the region of Laval), and Mr. Martin Prud’homme (deputy minister, Sécurité publique).

According to Ms. Charbonneau, minister responsible for the region of Laval, “The Leclerc de Laval Detention Centre provides a secure facility conducive to helping inmates learn and become responsible, thanks to many agreements between community partners.” The UNESCO Chair commends these partnerships because they target social reintegration and it hopes to be able to contribute.

Representatives of the UNESCO Chair were also present: Mr. Sylvain Mandeville, director general of the Cégep Marie-Victorin and president of the steering committee for the UNESCO Chair, and Mr. Jean-Pierre Simoneau, director of operations for the UNESCO Chair.

We would like to thank the ministère de la Sécurité publique (MSP), particularly Ms. Johanne Beausoleil, associate deputy minister (Direction générale des services correctionnels), who honoured us with her invitation to the opening. This is the first time a federal prison has been turned into a provincial jurisdiction detention centre.