ABBOTSFORD ISSUES

Getting Tough on Criminals; Standing up for Victims

Canadians continue to take great pride in their peaceful country. We value communities that offer safe playgrounds for our children to play in, safe neighbourhoods for our seniors, and safe streets so we can go to work and return to enjoy precious time with our families.

Our Conservative government has worked hard over the last 5 years to ensure that our streets and communities are free of violent criminals. Despite fierce opposition from some MPs, our Conservative government passed a number of critical pieces of justice reform in the 39^th Parliament, including:

· Eliminating conditional sentences (such as house arrest) as a sentencing option for anyone convicted of a violent offence;

· Creating mandatory prison sentences, ranging from 3 to 10 years, for criminals who possess illegal firearms or use them while committing a crime;

· Dealing with dangerous repeat offenders, who offend over and over again, by putting the onus on those convicted of a third violent and sexual offence to prove they shouldn’t be declared a dangerous offender and sentenced to an indeterminate sentence;

· Enhancing drug and alcohol-impaired driving laws and eliminating the “two beer” defence;

· Sending a strong message that street-racing on our roads and highways will not be tolerated and that offenders will be dealt with severely by the criminal justice system

· Protecting our children by increasing the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 years, making it easier to convict adults who sexually prey on young children.

During the 40^th Parliament, our Conservative government continued to focus on passing criminal justice legislation that targets criminals and protects Canadians. This legislation included:

· Cracking down on organized crime by making murders connected to organized crime activity automatically 1^st degree murder and creating new offences for drive-by and other reckless shootings;

· Implementing Truth in Sentencing, which ends 2-for-1 (and sometimes even 3-for-1) credit for time served in pre-sentencing custody;

· Countering identity theft with three new offences that carry 5-year maximum sentences;

· Eliminating Old Age Pension benefits for prisoners;

· Protecting Canadians from sex offenders by strengthening the National Sex Offender Registry and National DNA Bank to help identify sex offenders;

· Tackling auto theft and property crime by creating a separate “theft of a motor vehicle” offence with a mandatory 6 month sentence for repeat offenders as well as making it an offence to traffic in property obtained from crime.

In this recently-elected 41st Parliament, our Conservative government will continue to pursue a “tough on crime” agenda that stands up for victims and puts violent and prolific criminals behind bars. Canada’s justice system will continue to be strengthened as we complete the passage of laws such as:

Protecting the Public from Violent Young Offenders- The proposed amendments are intended to help ensure that violent and repeat young offenders are held accountable through sentences that are proportionate to the severity of their crimes, and that the protection of society is given due consideration in applying the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Ending House Arrest for Property and Other Serious Crimes by Serious and Violent Offenders- The amendments will make it clear that conditional sentences are not available for all serious offences, not just violent ones, such as fraud, arson, break and enter, and luring children over the internet for sexual purposes.

Standing up for Victims of White Collar Crime Act (sentencing for fraud) - Fraud can have a devastating impact on the lives of its victims, including loss of life savings and feelings of humiliation for having been deceived into voluntarily handing over their property. To counter white collar crime, this bill provides mandatory jail time (2 years minimum) for fraud over $1 million, provides additional aggravating factor for judges to consider, and increases the opportunity for the use of restitution orders.

Protecting Children from Online Sexual Exploitation Act– The proposed legislation would enhance Canada's capacity to protect children against sexual exploitation by making it mandatory for those who supply an internet service to report online child pornography. The legislation would help safeguard children by improving law enforcement's ability to detect offences and reduce the availability of child pornography on the Internet.

Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murders Act- Families of victims argue that the fact that life sentences for multiple murders are served concurrently devalues the lives of victims and puts Canadians at risk by allowing multiple murderers to be paroled earlier than merited, given the seriousness of their crimes. The proposed amendments to the Criminal Codewould address this situation by allowing judges to impose consecutive parole ineligibility periods on individuals convicted of more than one first- or second-degree murder.

Improving Access to Investigative Tools for Serious Crimes Act– This bill will provide law enforcement agencies with new, specialized investigative powers to help them take action against internet child sexual exploitation, disrupt online organized crime activity and prevent terrorism.

Fair and Efficient Criminal Trials Act– This legislation will improve criminal procedure to cut the number of long, drawn-out trials which is a key feature of the Government's commitment to ensure that justice is "effective, swift and true," as set out in the March 2010 Speech from the Throne.

Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Act - The proposed Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Actsupports this commitment in two ways: by ensuring that the penalties imposed for sexual offences against children better reflect the extremely serious nature of these acts and are consistent with each other; and by seeking to prevent child sex offenders from engaging in conduct that could facilitate their sexual offending or re-offending.
Serious Time for the Most Serious Crime Act- The repeal of the faint hope clause means that offenders who commit murder on or after the day that this proposed legislation comes into force will no longer be eligible to apply for early parole after 15 years in jail.

Penalties for Organized Drug Crime Act- The legislation provides mandatory jail time for serious drug offences involving the production and/or trafficking of illegal drugs, and will allow even more severe penalties to be imposed when offences are carried out for organized crime purposes, or if they involve violence or the targeting of youth.