Finally! Serious Crime Means Serious Time

May 10, 2006

It just keeps getting better. Massive tax cuts. U.S. Softwood tariffs returned to Canadian producers. Cash for farmers. And now, at long last, the decade-old Liberal practise of issuing violent criminals ‘get-out-of-jail-free cards’ will soon come to an end. And that’s in just 100 days under a Conservative Government.

Most of my constituents are probably aware that I have introduced in the three previous parliaments, the first time on May 26, 1999, legislation to prohibit conditional sentences, or “House Arrest”, for those convicted of serious and violent crimes – murder, rape, drug trafficking, to name a few.

The former Liberal government passed Section 742.1 of the Criminal Code into law in 1995, despite warnings that without clear instructions killers and other violent offenders could literally get away with murder. And they have. Time and time again.

I re-introduced my conditional sentencing bill on April 28th. I’m pleased that I did, but it turns out that my colleague, Justice Minister Vic Toews, works very fast indeed. Last week, he introduced his own legislation to follow through on our government’s commitment to get tough on crime.

Bill C-10 will enhance mandatory minimum penalties for gun crimes, while Bill C-9 will end conditional sentencing for serious crimes, including designated violent and sexual offences, major drug offences, crimes committed against children and impaired driving causing death or bodily harm.

For those of us who have become increasingly frustrated with a judicial system which has been focused upon aiding offenders rather than protecting communities, this is welcome news. Yes, we want to continue to offer opportunities for rehabilitation … but the scales of justice have tipped too far in favour of convicts.

It’s time to respect victims and protect society. During the same decade that Canada, thanks to ‘liberal’ use of conditional sentencing (pun intended), has become more lenient with violent criminals, major cities in the United States under siege due to violent crime, began cracking down on their criminal element. After more than a decade of harsher sentencing, crime has fallen in 48 of 50 states while crime in six of Canada’s 10 provinces has risen. Murders in New York City are down nearly 70 percent.

I know that defence attorney’s and criminal rights activists will not like comparisons to U.S. crime figures. Yes our society and criminal justice needs defer from theirs. And I am sure they can produce their own statistics to back support for conditional sentencing in violent crimes.

Yet ultimately, all the statistics in the world will not change the fact that our criminal justice system is as much about punishment and deterrence as it is about rehabilitation. I firmly believe, as do many Canadians and many of my constituents, that criminals should be held accountable for their actions. Punishment and deterrence are critical ingredients in society’s ongoing battle to protect itself from lawlessness … from violence!

In following through upon another of our campaign promises, specifically to make our streets and communities safer, the Conservative government is going to turn the tide in favour of victims. Serious crime will mean serious time.

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