Armed with a majority, the Harper government is setting out to refashion Canada’s justice system with a sweeping crime bill to toughen punishments for a range of offenders, from drug dealers to sexual predators to what Justice Minister Rob Nicholson calls “out-of-control young people.”
The Safe Streets and Communities Act was a centrepiece of the Conservative Party’s spring re-election platform, and the Tories – mindful of ingrained voter cynicism about unfulfilled political promises – are giving it pride of place as the first bill introduced in the fall sitting. During the campaign, they promised to pass it within 100 business days of Parliament’s return.
Even as he unveiled the 102-page justice legislation, Mr. Nicholson promised the Tories haven’t exhausted their enthusiasm for more crime laws.
“This is not the end; this is just the beginning of our efforts in this regard,” Mr. Nicholson said during a news conference in Brampton, Ont., a city that was a key battleground in the 2011 election and is now part of the Conservatives’ Toronto-area fortress. “We’ll introduce other legislation as well.”
Bill C-10, tabled in the Commons on Tuesday, combines nine separate bills that the Conservatives failed to enact into law during their minority government years but can now easily pass given their majority of seats in both the Commons and Senate.
It will rewrite laws on the production and possession of drugs, on young offenders, parole and house arrest, pardons and anti-terrorism, among others. In many cases, the Tories are increasing, or introducing, minimum sentences for offences – from possessing pot to bestiality to incest.
Opposition critics denounced the measures as retrograde and costly, but it was telling that few political rivals dared to criticize the legislation during Question Period, the main daily forum for attacking the government. No MP relishes being labelled soft on crime.
Speaking to reporters earlier Tuesday, NDP justice critic Joe Comartin predicted the tougher sentencing rules would land thousands more offenders in provincial and federal prisons each year and impose burdensome new costs on governments across Canada.
The Justice Minister defended the measures in the face of figures showing crime on average is decreasing in Canada. “We’re not governing on the basis of the latest statistics; we’re governing on the basis of what’s right to better protect victims and law-abiding Canadians,” Mr. Nicholson said.
Data released this summer showed the national crime rate is continuing its 20-year decline – reaching levels not seen since 1973.
Mr. Nicholson was quick to point out, however, that drug crimes and child sexual exploitation crimes are bucking this downward trend – developments that reflect the fact that authorities are cracking down on these offences.
The Justice Minister refused to put a price tag on how much it would cost taxpayers to support the new crime bill, including the expense of expanding prisons. Earlier this year, however, the Tories had suggested their plans for 18 anti-crime measures would cost $631-million – on top of the price of building more prison cells, estimated to total $2.1-billion over five years.
Tuesday’s bill is laden with political symbolism. One measure paves the way for Canadian victims of terrorist acts to sue the perpetrators and supporters of terrorism in Canadian courts, including seeking compensation from foreign states.
It sets Jan. 1, 1985, as the date from which Canadian terrorism victims can seek redress. This means families of the Flight 182 Air India bombings of June, 1985, are eligible.
One government source said the dating is deliberate, adding it would have been stupid to introduce such a measure but then neglect to include the worst act of terror committed against Canadians. The victims on Flight 182 included 280 Canadians.
Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae, speaking Tuesday morning, dismissed the planned embrace of more prison time as a means of tackling crime. He said this approach has failed in the United States.
“The states in the U.S. which have participated in this folly for the last 25 to 30 years, even those governed by Tea Party people, are saying, ‘We can’t afford this: it’s a waste of time and money – let’s change course,’ ” he said.
