Crime bill an insult and fear mongering

Re: Tory crime bill raises alarms, March 5.

As a former Progressive Conservative MP (Ottawa West), chairperson of the standing committee on justice and the solicitor general (1987-88) and long time head of the sentencing reform team at Justice Canada until my retirement in despair in 2011, I must express my outrage at the latest in the litany of criminal justice proposals announced by the prime minister on March 4.

There must have been close to 100 such “reforms” since 2006. Almost without exception they have been designed to mislead Canadians about the level and nature of crime in the country — in short to create fear. The government has shown no interest in the large body of incontrovertible research that tells us what works to keep societies safe. That is a balanced approach that Liberal and PC governments have followed for decades, one that recognizes that many offenders will need to spend time in custody but many more can be dealt with effectively through non-carceral restrictions and rehabilitation.

Canada is a safe society. Our crime rate has fallen for decades.

One of the most important reasons that this is so is that until recently we have had an effective parole system focused on protecting society. This is to be denied to the various categories of offenders listed in the proposal for ever, except for those who have served 35 years and successfully convince a committee of cabinet ministers that they can be released.

I wonder if any will be successful! For most, this will be tantamount to a death penalty.

The proposal will not be introduced until next week, but it is clear from what we know that it is replete with Charter and practical problems. Many of its stated objectives are already dealt with by previous legislation, such as the dangerous offender legislation brought in by previous governments.

This initiative is pandering and fearmongering at its worst. It is also an insult to the intelligence of Canadians. David Daubney, Ottawa, Progressive Conservative MP for Ottawa West (1984 to 1988)