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Liberals Call Harper's Drug Crime Crackdown 'Hypocrisy' |
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Written by LPC
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Saturday, 03 December 2005 |
Stephen Harper says he would introduce new measures to crack down on crime, but the Conservatives’ record on crime speaks to their ambivalence on justice issues in Canada.
First, by forcing this holiday-season election, the Conservatives are responsible for killing eight pieces of legislation that would have strengthened law enforcement in Canada. The lost bills would have:
- strengthened investigations of drug-impaired driving offences;
- established new criminal offences and tougher sentences to target “grow-ops”;
- targeted organized motor vehicle theft by making it an offence to tamper with a vehicle identification number (VIN);
- identified street racing as an aggravating factor in sentencing and includes mandatory driving prohibitions;
- restricted the use of conditional sentences for serious and violent offences;
- enhanced mandatory minimum penalties for firearms smuggling, trafficking and the illegal possession of loaded handguns in public places;
- created two new offences: break and enter to steal a firearm and robbery where a firearm has been stolen;
- expanded the use of prohibition orders, restricted parole and facilitated witness testimony;
- Increased penalties for cruelty to animals; and
- Implemented the DNA bank reforms agreed to by Parliament.
Harper and his colleagues also voted against legislation brought in by the Liberal government to introduce current mandatory minimums for gun crimes.
Stephen Harper has long been critical of Canada’s judiciary and has repeatedly accused Canadian judges of political collusion. For example, he claimed that, “His (the PM) view is not that what's in the Charter is what's in it, but that the judges he appoints can change it whenever they like and he'll go along with it." (Kimberly Daily Bulletin, August 22, 2003)
Harper’s deputy apparently feels much the same way about law enforcement in Canada, claiming that a “very unnatural and cozy relationship'' exists between the RCMP and the government. (Peter MacKay, Canadian Press Newswire, July 19, 2005)
Given the disdain Conservatives have shown for Canada’s legal and law enforcement systems, why should Canadians now trust them when they say they want to strengthen them? |
