Dear editor,
I want to register my opposition to the Conservative "crime bill."
Yes, the bill itself is a crime.
We have had a declining crime rate in Canada for many years. Changes are not necessary. Just the cost associated with pushing the bill through Parliament, then all the printing cost,etc. In a time of diminishing resources, this is too expensive.
The bill will increase costs for the provinces. Mr. Harper's position, that the provinces will not be getting extra funds is another good reason to drop the bill.
In B.C., there is an increase in food bank clients, loss of jobs, etc. Community Living is tossing people out of group homes and now the federal government wants to add to the cost of operating in B.C. I don't think so.
The proposed sentences are ridiculous. More time in jail for a pot grower than a pedophile?
People are not going to stop growing pot because of an increase in sentences. Major crime will just find more financially deprived people to look after their grow-ops.
In B.C. there have been considerable cutbacks in the justice system since 2000. Courthouses were closed, the number of police officers have not increased in proportion to the increase in population; we barely have enough sheriffs.
We are running a little thin on prosecutors and judges also. There have been a number of cases in B.C. which were dismissed because they could not be brought to trial in a timely manner by the Crown.
It might be better if the government put a little more funding into schools, hospitals, increased welfare rates, etc. before putting more people in jail.
We have seen the "war on drugs" in the U.S.A. for decades. What has been the result? Millions in jail at great expense to the taxpayer. No decline in the amount of drugs being sold or consumed.
If MP John Duncan and Mr. Harper want to do something to reduce crime in Canada, I would suggest addressing the conditions which lead to crime and deal with habitual offenders. A proper mental health system might also work. Some years ago the VPD did a study and found about 40 per cent of all calls to the police involved mental health issues.
Forget about the crime bill; get on with making Canada a better place for children to live.
E.A. Foster,
Comox