Sex abuse victim Sheldon Kennedy spoke to Parliamentary justice committee yesterday in support of the Harper government’s omnibus crime bill.
Kennedy has good reason to want a section of the wide-ranging bill to be enacted. The former NHL player’s abuser was sentenced to three years in jail but only served 18 months and later received a pardon. That’s just crazy.
However much empathy a person feels for Mr. Kennedy, this bill is a scary bit of business. Its tentacles reach out to virtually all areas of crime and it gets very tough on the worst criminals – like those who have as many as six marijuana plants. SIX. Ahem. Even if you think the weed is evil, and don’t know much about its production, you can probably still guess that someone with six or fewer plants is not a major producer.
The bill ends house arrest as a punishment in many cases, and plans to put more people in prison. By and large, it’s understood by those involved in the system that prisoners don’t get rehabilitated, they learn how to work the process and become better criminals. Lots of people have a hang-em-high mentality but it’s proven that it doesn’t work. We need more prevention, not punishment – although punishment is sometimes warranted, of course.
I’m a little worried about this bill passing within 100 days of re-election, as Harper promised. It’s too sweeping and wide-ranging. Google it for yourself. It reminds me of former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant’s chest-thumping after he banned pit bulls in the province. He made it seem like his doggie racism bill (my words) would bring an end to dog bites. It hasn’t of course. And locking up every jay-walker won’t make Canada a safer place to live.
Why don’t they punish offenders with something that will act as more of a deterrent than 3 squares, full health care and “time served” leniancy? Highway cleanup is a good start! What about picking up garbage in parks and along rivers? The chores that most of us expect will be paid for with our taxes. Then we get all pissy when we see the bill for 4 unionized city workers busting their hump for time and a half, meal allowances and full health care.
Hey, wait a minute! I have an idea! Nah! It’ll never fly…..
This bill is potentially one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever to be considered in this country. It panders to the fearful and uninformed (of which there are many) and gives the police more power to infringe on basic rights of Canadians. Sound familiar? That’s because they’ve been doing the same thing south of the border for decades, and increasingly since 9-11. Our brilliant politicians can see how flawlessly it’s working down there so the obvious next step is to follow suit up here!
Using their logic we need to start building more prisons, reinstate the death penalty, privatize liquor stores so we can have one on every corner and start giving everyone a free gun when they open a new bank account.