Tories target gangs
Tougher bail, sentences for thugs: Scheer
A federal Conservative government would crack down on gang-related crimes with tougher sentences and stricter bail rules, Leader Andrew Scheer promises.
Rather than bring in a handgun ban — as requested by Toronto Mayor John Tory and under consideration by the Trudeau government — Scheer said he’d make it easier to identify gang members and keep them in jail.
“Gang crimes, particularly gang murders, have been on the rise,” he said Thursday during a stop in Brampton. “We have seen several shocking incidents of gang violence this summer, including a shooting on a children’s playground not too far away from here.”
Two young girls were hit by gunfire while playing in a Scarborough playground, innocent bystanders who took bullets apparently meant for someone else.
The Conservative anticrime announcement came on the same day the Trudeau government announced $85.5 million for initiatives to combat gun and gang violence, including stepped-up measures at the border to prevent illegal guns entering from the United States.
Scheer said that if his party forms the federal government next year, it would guarantee that repeat “gang offenders” are held without bail.
Parole would be revoked if an offender affiliates with a criminal gang, and the gang leaders would be subject to stiffer mandatory penalties for ordering criminal acts — as would anyone who committed a gang-related crime, he said.
The government would also identify gangs in the criminal code rather than require prosecutors to prove in court for each case that an organization is criminal in nature, he said.
“Everyone knows that Hells Angels and MS-13 are dangerous, violent gangs,” Scheer said.
Victims advocate Joe Wamback praised the initiatives, saying he hopes there will be greater repercussions for those who prey on others.
“Too often we see people who have been destroyed, families destroyed, communities destroyed by acts of violent crimes,” Wamback said.
Scheer said he also believes that program funds need to be spent in the community to help youth avoid a life of crime and on first-time young offenders to avoid recidivism.
“On a handgun ban, I believe that this is a typical Liberal proposal of symbolism over substance,” he said.