E15 - Colin McGregor - 29 ans de prison: Rédemption, écriture, et seconde chance

Un récit sans filtre qui commence dans l’ombre et s’ouvre sur une voix claire: Colin revient sur un crime, une condamnation à vie et le long chemin qui mène de la colère au sens des responsabilités. Nous partageons comment l’écriture en prison devient un fil d’Ariane, entre censure et chroniques publiées, et pourquoi l’humour, même un écureuil imaginaire de six pieds, peut sauver une journée derrière une porte d’acier. Pas de vernis: on parle d’isolement, de violence qui surgit sans prévenir, de familles qui se brisent, et de ce qu’il faut pour ne pas se dissoudre quand tout s’effondre.

Nous explorons les leviers qui fonctionnent: alphabétisation et formation en détention, accompagnement à la sortie, logements stables, emplois accessibles et règles claires. Colin décrit les classes où 70% des détenus repartent de zéro, la dignité qui renaît quand on apprend, et la force de dire “je ne sais pas”. Vient ensuite le grand saut: retrouver un monde saturé de téléphones, de notifications et d’usages sociaux transformés. Les routines carcérales rassurantes cèdent la place à la liberté brute. Entre communautés de foi, Café Graffiti et réseaux bienveillants, il montre comment créer des appuis concrets qui abaissent la récidive et restaurent la confiance.

Côté plume, on compare français et anglais, audiences, blogs et chiffres de lecture. On parle aussi d’équité: restituer la vie carcérale sans caricature, protéger l’anonymat et affronter les sujets qui fâchent, des suicides aux évasions. La question centrale reste la même: comment réparer, quand on ne peut pas effacer? Par des limites acceptées, une sobriété assumée, des textes utiles et des gestes répétés. Si ces thèmes vous parlent, abonnez-vous, laissez un avis et partagez l’épisode avec quelqu’un qui croit, comme nous, que la seconde chance se construit à plusieurs.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 3:20 Le crime, la condamnation et le changement de regard
• 6:45 Écrire en prison: chroniques, humour et humanité
• 10:30 Ce qui change vraiment en prison
• 15:45 Isolement, famille et poids de la culpabilité
• 22:00 Retour graduel à la société et chocs culturels
• 27:30 Travail, logement et dépendances après la sortie
• 32:10 Livres, traductions et censure carcérale
• 37:45 Évasions, suicides et récits du quotidien en prison
• 42:30 Femmes surveillantes et dynamiques de pouvoir
• 47:10 Alphabétisation en détention et dignité
• 48:14 Outro

Transcript

SPEAKER_04: 0:00

It's a crime execrable. I've tuated my ex pendant. It was Ottawa to say, I'm my example. The journey of my delay. This is the 13th November 1991. A journey that I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_05: 0:25

What is the prison, Colin?

SPEAKER_04: 0:27

Once the human is capable of enormous, we could. It's the movement that I cherry, mercy. I couldn't do this in English. The first time I was started in prison for an excursion two years, for a pass two year, I was changing that I've had in the society. All the noir that they were. There were automobiles blanket that I've had in my life in Quebec. And all the world was fixed on these petite cars, plastic and metal that was their visage, particularly the people, marched like that. And I said, What's that?

SPEAKER_06: 1:13

All right, and the couverture. I am Jocelyne Sima. We say that the lives permit to evad. But for my invitation of the day, the creature has been a simple evasion, it is a survival, a reconstruction and a fenêtre to the world, along with it enfermed into quatre moons. He is an author of atypic, completely different. Anglophone decisance is for now in the language of Molière, approved in a context difficult, he has to get the society. Chronic during seven years, reflect the society, author in edition TNT. He poses a regard lucid, critical, but human to the marginality, the justice, and the living. All right. I talked to what I'm talking about. I don't know. Anyway. Don't say a little bit of you a day, but I'm going, if you permit, we explain to those who regard and exactly what you are exactly. What's what your park is.

SPEAKER_04: 2:43

I was living at all the both. And I was living at McGill. I began an economy and terminated my students in Philo. I had an all. After that, I was at Halifax for journalist at Halifax Daily News. And I worked after fewer days as a journalist, and publicist, and other things. I had a terrible and enormous problem of this time. I gasped many opportunities, I gaspied my life. And in 1991, I had 29 years, when after a divorce, there was a crime, but it was a crime executor. I knew my ex after the divorce. And I was at the police in Ottawa. It was in Ottawa in the moment to say I went to my ex. I passed 29 years ago. And the first year of that, or the 10 years of time, I was very among. I was always remembering, I was very amount with the system. I was sans the crime and I blame everyone for my problems. But eventually and gradually the camera was turned over to me. And I said, I am the males, I am responsible for what I've done, I travail for me. Jean-Pierre Bellmar, who was the barreau for other crimes, who m'a approached a journey, who was a chronique for the review of them, Reflet Society. He made the journalist, why do you decide to make a chronique? I've had a chronic and I've envoyed Raymond Viget, who is the Reflet Society Edition TNT. He has my propos in Angla and France. The lectoral. I continued. Eventually I was in France, but in the day I had all my text in Angleton. Just a moment after they furnish the port on all the ordinate personnel. And it was done not just an exit, but a chance to talk about my removing and of my processes, of my life, and of what I wanted along. In a like I did an humanist. I would not say that all the guardians are or two merit. Guardians and we have no great qualities, no great default. And everyone decides to make their mind in a situation very difficult. So that's what I would. And because I am a clown, I think humor in my chronic also. I told, for example, when you're in solitary confinement, when you are in isolation. It's good to invent these animals invisibles with what you would jazz. The time passed. My animal invisible, it's an écure of six pieds who appeared Doug. But I don't know who was in solitary, but you could use Doug. Doug's six pieds. And it's like Doug to pass the time. It's a genre of those. I also think of the tragedy, the separation familiar, I was in contact with my proper family, how I picked lourd on the world. I think of a few areas. I heard that there's a great interest for the sombrer in our society. There are many people who don't know how to be in prison. And the other thing that I appreciate during my liberty is that there are many people who are pretty open and their brand for people who say a second chance, a different chance in their life. There are people with the cœur who are accepted and accepted sans conditions, but to donate another chance to be.

SPEAKER_06: 9:08

You said there are many people who say comment in prison. What is in prison, Colin? What's your experience?

SPEAKER_04: 9:16

I'm habitually. And I think after I was a tiny experience. And I was made d'accord on one point. L'être human is capable of an enormous adaptation. It's the word. In prison, we don't have any. You can do what the Latin says minimum and you have your episodes. They are strict. But I'm accounting at this restraint. It was rassurant. One of the things that I've been living is a certain discipline on my mind. I can't live on my house, I have my activities of the seminary. I'm at a bank alimentable that, like the prison, you do a cabaret and you tell it. It's a dependence that it's impossible to completely evitate when you are libre. It's a military dependence. But it's not the violence that you see in prison, and I was battery, and by the guardians, and by the other people. It's not a change that you can say. It's a change that arrives at times in time. And you don't know when it will be. If you obsess, you can define very paranoid. There are many people who are also. There are people who don't work on them, and it's who are in the system trust. There are innocent people who pretend their innocence, but if they have their crime, they are. And it's one of the tragedy. I know that there are many innocent prison, but when you do their history, you are a little skeptical because you enter the more.

SPEAKER_06: 12:18

Okay. What was the world? Is that the solitude? Is that it's the fact you said we had a relationship with your family. Is that you abandoned?

SPEAKER_04: 12:31

I was abandoned after my crime. My crime was abandoned before my marriage. Because my family is alcoholic, he started in charging, he was assistant social, and all he wanted of his fist and entourage was. The exact one to live in community with these who are perfectly irrational and difficult to do, the stereotypes that are for I detest that. You have your proper cellules, but there's a range of 20 cellules where all the people does live tranquillo and partage and put the douche ensemble. It's the difficult. And now that I have too in a studio, the one lonely. The other thing that is the crime. Because when you're in and you think about your delay and the domain that you have, there's not grand that you can make to replace your heart. There is no. And I am contacting the family of the victim, and I accepted that. Or to return to Ottawa, the year of the crime, and I accepted that. It's bad for me. Ottawa has played both souvenirs for me. But to live with your culpability sort of And one of the reasons why I accepted for Raymond Vigger and Reflet Society it's a fashion to replace my thoughts and sensibility the world, to have contact with the world at the exterior. I have these ancient amount of people who must have contacted me that I began to excribe. I began to have a visitors and I had contact contact with those who made contact around the baron. There was a lot that I think who were pretty to me. I could go to Westmount at my ancient life. I party when I was in the public for a long time. The person said that I had an accent very curious in France. I party with an accent britanic when I hear France. And it's auditory, but it's when I was in an attention, all the professors of France were Britannic. Because they wanted to contaminate with the accent regional of Quebec.

SPEAKER_06: 15:39

Wow, it's at this point.

SPEAKER_04: 15:41

It's up to this point. The first mission that I did in France was The Faint is at that time. I adore this genre of comedy. And I began to explain and I've had a Angleter at the exterior, I had a cool at the interior. I had two in France. And I thought I was the Quebec with a deck on science human in Angla, exactly the same deck in France.

SPEAKER_06: 16:20

Okay. You are sorry. The girls, when they start, the difficulty is the social media. Oh, exactly. But you have to be in Cafe Graffiti.

SPEAKER_04: 16:42

Well, for the people, it's very difficult because you have facility, but it's employee in construction in mass.

SPEAKER_05: 16:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 16:50

The companies in construction and the users at Laval. We have the two different prisons where I was in the west of Laval. If you are in both forms and 20, you can get a big salary. The world is a little bit difficult in sorting the prison. But for the six and the opportunities of employment are very. And it's not a logement is very evident at Montreal. For people who are sex, the adjustment to the society is very difficult. And I do that I detest the telephone cellular. Oh, it's uh reachable. You can be contacted the year and the night. We don't have solitude of privacy. You will go, I think, graffiti is when the revolution of the year we will jump to the ordinators and all the telephone cellular.

SPEAKER_06: 18:06

The revolution of the cute All right. We're not too bibliography. Okay. You have fewer lives in Angla, in France.

SPEAKER_04: 18:17

I've had a traduction. I've traduced two lives of Raymond Viget and France. Two, two, parce que there's a lot of poesies. It's always darkest before the dawn, April, which I published in 2019, who is a bestseller in the world of the poes, the poes in Quebec. Raymond has enjoyed a text that were lost by Sensora in prison. He likes to do it and all that. When you enjoy an envelope and it's not your avocado, you can learn in sort of and run. All these texts that I did. All the texts that I did, but it was a thematic social. It was thematic social. The people said that it was a bad affair in my chemistry to have it. It's not like I written a text on my life as a criminal or my plant from the police or something like that. It's Raymond for the Jews, because he traveled social during 25 years ago of jeans.

SPEAKER_06: 20:04

Just what they can attend.

SPEAKER_04: 20:09

Well, it's a collection of my chronic, and three years after my chemination at the exterior, and on the different extensions. I was restrained by the space in the magazine. The chapters are as cool, we did 700 and 100 moments. And text addresses a different. When you are in a prison medium, for example, you have the chance to get excursions a year, like a minimum. The exterior is to go to the table. Because the fill barbel, you know, changing the society. I passed 20 years ago than 25 in the conditions of security. The first time I was sort of prison for an excursion of a pass a year, I was changing in the society. To the noir that he had. There were automobiles blankets that I've seen in my life in Quebec. And all the world was fixed on this petite carrot plastic and metal noir that was their visage, particularly the people, marched like that. And I said, What's that?

SPEAKER_06: 21:51

It does be. A part of that, what are the things that you are who are frapped? A part of the addiction. Smartphone and it was very colorful.

SPEAKER_04: 22:03

The world, the world, the world of Quebec in the years, there was a man blanket. All the world when I was the first time was in November. It was my first pad version of passing three hours in the side of an eggs. But the route at their retour, I was the difference that I've had.

SPEAKER_06: 22:48

Est-ce que vous avez senti the difference in material or informatic or technological, but the difference in the individuals?

SPEAKER_04: 23:01

It's an observation based on my pet community anglophone of the West of Lille at which I did. L alcoholism is much more tolerant. Accepted this year.

SPEAKER_06: 23:15

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04: 23:21

My father is alcoholic, but he has continued he has an employee because of the alcoholism. It's accepted that you are. The world is in shape, in form physics. It's sure. And the world communicates more individually because of the technology. When I sit in my bureau, there are 5-15 people who travel in a sall. It's a great affair where I'm in the 20s. I prefer to stay at a bureau at 10 pieds, 20 pieds of me, to say what I'm going to say. I accept now the fact that you're going to text the world before we tell directly to nothing.

SPEAKER_06: 24:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 24:46

They said that I was fair, I was equitable.

SPEAKER_06: 24:57

That's a bad validation.

SPEAKER_04: 24:58

Yeah. That's a bad validation. But there are a lot of things that I have. If you could be equitable, I would treat a sujet. There are different sujets. The guardians detest when we came to the evasion and tentative evasion.

SPEAKER_06: 25:27

There are less.

SPEAKER_04: 25:29

Oh, yeah, there was a lot of person at Coinsville, when I was at Coinsville, who was a camion of danger.

SPEAKER_06: 25:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 25:38

And the dump, in France? The garbage dump is at 15 kilometers of the prison at Granby. And they saw who had a sack and the depot. And they have returned this girl. And this girl has made a sosie, a dummy, a mannequin in his lake.

SPEAKER_06: 26:09

Don't exist, because we have the films. But I was like that people.

SPEAKER_04: 26:15

That exists. That exists. He had made a mannequin in his line and he was invaded. And the strange of this is that he had seven semaines. He rested in his sentence. He was supposed to be liberated six semaines later. Personally, I've retrieved, since it was retroved, I'm sorry. But when I quit, they don't have it. Well, uh another sujet that I tried in the liver, it's suicide. But the tristess design Jean-Pierre Bellemare is rendered the jury with the Guardian to have a femme guardian and their problems and their situation versions.

SPEAKER_01: 27:37

You need to be clearer.

SPEAKER_04: 27:39

Well they well, the femme guardians that the famous guardians were engaged in the prison. And there was a lutte entre certain arms condescending and chauvinists who accepted the situation. The political knowledge of guardians or their notes or members of the administration attack or directly of their knowledge. I hope I think that's by respect for those that I did. If I heard of a it was an initial, like B or C or D. And I told a guardian or a guardian or a member of the administration individually, what they were, what they did. I had a lot of time when I went on. It wouldn't be an auditor that an equal. You could commence a day and nice. Yeah, it's a place valorizing to work. And you could terminate your second, you could obtain a DEC in prison. In prison. And it was to do that. Some of 70% of the population carcass are analphabet.

SPEAKER_05: 29:23

Wow.

SPEAKER_04: 29:23

Yeah. It was the shape. 70% are incapable of party, learn, and hear at a nive secondary in Angla or in France. Some were immigrants, like Vietnamese, etc., who were scholarized in Anglais or France, but it had a certain courage to say that you are an analphabet and demand. There are enseignants who are in the year, because they went to the exterior. They say that it's an atmosphere, an ambience plenty of college adult, like an adult at the exterior.

SPEAKER_05: 30:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_04: 30:03

But it's a courage to say that you have a hidden in nymph in prison. Because the prison is a predatory. If you have a few people tackiness by these, it's just very valorizing to travel with people who work with other people with their alphabetization. And that's what I've had. I've had many days on that. I've had a lot of valorizant than that. And I think that the lives.

SPEAKER_06: 30:41

You said you are chronic, and we have prison to reflect the society. You know?

SPEAKER_04: 30:48

I feel like I have a little bit more than the day, because we have different responsibilities. We have community and compensatory who are at Cafe Graffiti at all to get their different and learn and pass their time, adults. And I'm responsible for compensation, and I do sign their documents and donate and make that respect the regiments. It's a couple iron for Next. I am on liberation conditional. I was condemned in perpetuality. I was in liberation conditional for the rest of my years. But I do watch my agent of liberation two months. They are always at Pineuf. And they are very encouraging with me. He didn't concept. He will not return to Ottawa, nor to return to Boisson. I have the right to stay in a bar, for example. There are certain conditions that I do. But there are conditions that I am content to remember, to suive. Not for the delay that I've committed, but for another delay. And it's coming the two others.

SPEAKER_05: 33:11

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 33:12

And a lot of clinic about the year that I knew when I was young. I threw that in prison. I thought that for rememoration that were familiar with me. And when I was evidently changed. Griffintown was an entrepôt when I was libre after my arrest. They passed my life and my adolescence at Westmount. I've visited it three or three, it had changed. But too long, the Avenue Green and I remember the two years of my enfance and my adolescence and Saint Adele. I had a meeting.

SPEAKER_06: 34:07

And in a club of rugby, and there are things that are just among people in France who are contacted or with who you discutent?

SPEAKER_04: 34:23

One of the things that you appreciate when you are the community of faith are very important in the cheminement of an extraordinary and the community of faith are the other people who are pretty to aid, to recognize that you have a you feel sorry for it. You regret it. There's an organization that's the Monerie Community of Montréal, who is a little for extent at Montréal. And the other thing that we appreciate, I would say trust, is that the francophones are more than the Anglophones or extant. I don't know. It's just that they are more condemnation. Yeah. The francophones are more than the Anglophones. But there are groups, the communitas who are extant Anglophone who have also exist. But it's more broadly based, it's more popular than the community francophone who have the extent.

SPEAKER_06: 35:36

And marginal and proud of it?

SPEAKER_04: 35:40

Well, that's a traduction of a live of Raymond Viget and a couple of other people sur the history of Cafe Graffiti. Cafe Graffiti is a year that was at Ochalaga Mazeneu in 1997, who was very mediatized in the time. There were many jeans and homes who were manipulated and exploited by the Hells Angels who control the Oshalaga Maz in the time. The Cafe Graffiti is the year where we could stay sans to get graffiti and the music and receiving consequences and suggestions. Marie Soleil Proteau was an ancient eleventh of Cafe Graffiti. There are a lot of people in the society, in the media Quebec who have passed a rap, rappers like Samian. There have a great family of Cafe Graffiti who are in the society. When I returned this aftermiddle at Cafe Graffiti, I will make my compensatory and community. I have other lives for the continue to vendor and publicizing the lives that I've had.

SPEAKER_06: 38:28

Colin Anglophone. But there's an Angla and France. Is there a difference? And it's what your preference?

SPEAKER_04: 38:39

Well, um a living Anglophone who does exactly the same things that a living francophone is 25% more long. The Anglo is a language than the France. Honestly, I read in France, I read these articles for Reflet Society on a variety of sujets in France. And I admire explaining for a magazine because if I have an idea, I talk about these, and I appreciate me with different things that I treat. And if you know my ancient articles, they can go on the site web of Refletsociety.com.com. But I prefer I am the two. It's a difficult france. I committed error. My articles and my ear does have been repeated wagon before they are published. In Angl, I am the editor of the bureau. It's mine who decided. Chaque moment that I read exactly like that. And I have a web. We have a web anglophone who appears, I will find the pub for that. And it has I know or why, but we have 1.3 million visionments this year. And the Social Eyes are essentially the articles that were public in society, but in Anglican. And it was auditing. It's explosive this year, I don't know. But it's 1.3 million visionments at data this year.

SPEAKER_06: 40:27

And I suppose that Reflet Society has a name of visitors.

SPEAKER_04: 40:31

A year, it's comprehensive. But Reflet Society is very popular.

SPEAKER_06: 40:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 40:41

Raymond, in his blog, he published 20 years. He said that he had 7 million visionments at blog. It's not so big. For a blogger in France, it's not so pire. The Anglophone is telling vast.

SPEAKER_06: 41:00

Exactly. All right. Colin, uh, there are two segments. There's a segment a bit serious, it's a little bit of a.

SPEAKER_04: 41:07

Oh, that's serious.

SPEAKER_06: 41:08

It's serious, it was a intense. But there's a bullet. You have a bullet that is a joke. It's a little bit ludicrous, it's a little bit large.

SPEAKER_03: 41:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_06: 41:19

And I create a show that I adapt in function of the invitation that you reveal.

SPEAKER_00: 41:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_06: 41:24

So already I concocted a pet that's expression impossible. We will show you the fact that we read in the two languages. It's like we have approached the franchise by Anglers who don't communicate the accent Quebec. But what I would say is I will say two or three expressions Quebec.

SPEAKER_04: 41:47

Oh, okay. Okay, we'll see.

SPEAKER_06: 41:52

It's a really pure Quebec.

SPEAKER_04: 41:55

We're pretty.

SPEAKER_06: 41:56

Okay, I was existed, but I didn't know a little bit. So the first expression is it pleas a board. Did you know that one? No. It's that don't suppose he pleases.

SPEAKER_04: 42:15

It's raining cats and dogs.

SPEAKER_06: 42:17

Exactly. That's that's it's perfect.

SPEAKER_04: 42:21

And you say what it is?

SPEAKER_06: 42:22

No.

SPEAKER_05: 42:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 42:42

And when he pleaves, it glissed.

SPEAKER_06: 42:44

Wow, okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 42:46

It's raining cats and dogs.

SPEAKER_06: 42:47

Okay. Deuxième expression. The France exists. Avo the fe okay. It's like to be in a rush.

SPEAKER_04: 43:12

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_06: 43:14

Need to do to yeah, to act very quickly.

SPEAKER_04: 43:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_06: 43:17

Pete de la brou.

SPEAKER_04: 43:24

Uh pete de la brou, vous êtes no, it's more like you're bragging, you're showing off.

SPEAKER_06: 43:30

Oh really?

SPEAKER_04: 43:31

Okay, I mean.

SPEAKER_06: 43:36

The last one.

SPEAKER_04: 43:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_06: 43:40

I don't know what you uh it's like to get drunk, to get wasted.

SPEAKER_04: 43:45

Okay, because you say the fashion in the cell on produce labour on the prison, is to put the fruit and they ferment.

SPEAKER_01: 43:53

Oh man.

SPEAKER_04: 44:00

On the fruit, the fresh included and distilling.

SPEAKER_06: 44:10

Colin, we have time.

SPEAKER_04: 44:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_06: 44:13

Don't demand if there are sujets, we discuss, but we have to discuss it.

SPEAKER_04: 44:20

I think we have covered. The important is to imagine what we are in the day, how we react. 90% of dependence.

SPEAKER_02: 44:39

Wow.

SPEAKER_04: 44:40

And they are capable of if you don't have a dumb chance, they support and they substance. They are capable of defending both citoyens. The statistics prove that if you commit an act violent in the 20s and you pass these days around the barrel, you're disposed to commit an act violent when you quit the prison that the population general.

SPEAKER_06: 45:10

Okay, that's nice.

SPEAKER_04: 45:12

That's the economist, but that's right. You know, we are two marginals in one sense or another. You consider the world.

SPEAKER_06: 45:33

Colleen, can I ask you a very personal question?

SPEAKER_04: 45:36

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_06: 45:46

Personally, is that you have a new conjoint?

SPEAKER_04: 45:49

No.

SPEAKER_06: 45:50

Is that you have one?

SPEAKER_04: 45:52

No. It's a bad question. This is what you must demand on Parlois when I was passed in. Groucher Marx said, I would be a member of a club who would have been like member. About my parkour and what I feel, I don't charge that on the door of a damn.

SPEAKER_06: 46:29

Perfect. Don't just forget that your lives are displayed at the edition.

SPEAKER_04: 46:34

EditionTNT.com. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 46:36

Exactly. And the library also participants habitual.com. Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 47:04

The Social Eyes. The Social Eyes.

SPEAKER_06: 47:13

And what was your actual socials?

SPEAKER_04: 47:20

Lisez Reflet Society.

SPEAKER_06: 47:33

All right. Perfect. It's very, very appreciated. It's very rare. I know we have a lot of courage. I have a lot of respect for what you have traversed and the chemicals that you have put.

SPEAKER_04: 48:10

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_06: 48:12

Thank you very much.