OTTAWA – “ I am proud to support our Conservative government’s most recent efforts to tackle crime”, said Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright. “The latest justice legislation tabled by our government reaffirms our belief that the rights of victims should come before the rights of criminals.”
Last week, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews introduced Bill C-23, legislation which will eliminate pardons for serious crimes. According to Benoit, pardons under the current system are granted almost automatically, and convey the message that the harm caused by criminals is somehow forgiven. Benoit went on to explain that under the proposed legislation, pardons will be renamed “record suspensions”, and will be granted only under limited circumstances. “Record suspensions will not be available to criminals with more than three indictable convictions, or to anyone convicted of a sex offence against a child,” added Benoit. “We are outraged that men like Graham James can receive pardon so easily, and we are working to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated.”
Benoit also detailed two additional pieces of legislation, tabled by Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. “Bill C-22 will ensure the safety of children from online exploitation. This bill would require suppliers of Internet services to report to a designated agency tips they receive from the public, and to notify police and safeguard evidence if they believe a child pornography offence has been committed using an Internet service they provide.”
Benoit also explained Bill C-21, the Conservative bill targeting white-collar crime. As he pointed out, this legislation would:
- make jail time mandatory for fraud over $1 million, by setting a new mandatory minimum sentence of two years for such crimes;
- add new aggravating factors to toughen sentences – factors such as the impact on the victim and the magnitude of the fraud;
- require judges in all fraud cases to consider demanding offenders make restitution to their victims; and
- allow affected groups to submit Community Impact Statements to the court.
“All of these most recent Bills reflect our government’s continued commitment to protect our society’s most vulnerable members,” concluded Benoit. “We are on the side of Canada’s victims, and we are sending a strong message that crime will not be tolerated.”
