OTTAWA – Not even 24 hours after Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the promise in the House of Commons yesterday, the Government tabled legislation to make our communities safer and keep criminals where they belong. “Bill C-2 will better protect youth from sexual predators, protect society from dangerous offenders, get serious with drug-impaired drivers and toughen sentencing and bail for those who commit crimes using a gun,” explains Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright. “The Tackling Violent Crime Act contains the significant crime bills that were extensively debated by Parliament during its last session, but which never became law due to the opposition’s stall and delay tactics.”

“Canadians – and my constituents in particular -- have told us they want to see action,” said Benoit. “They are fed up with a justice system that puts the rights of criminals ahead of the rights of law-abiding citizens. It should be clear by now that our Government is serious about the need to better protect Canadians and toughen up the justice system.”

The measures included in the legislation will:

• impose mandatory jail time for serious crimes committed using guns;

• create tougher bail rules when a gun is used to commit a crime;

• increase the age of protection for sexual activity from 14 years to 16 years;

• crack down on drug impaired driving; and

• ensure that high-risk and dangerous offenders face tougher consequences when they are sentenced and are better monitored post-release to prevent them from offending again and again.

“All the measures included in this legislation were studied in depth by Parliament in the last session,” continues Benoit. “In fact some were held up for over a year by the Opposition and the unelected, unaccountable Senate. The Prime Minister has been very clear about the fact that, if the opposition allows our Throne Speech to pass, they cannot obstruct our core priorities, including this bill. And to hold them to account, we will make Bill C-2 a confidence bill.”

“Bill C-2 is by no means a comprehensive bill,” concludes Benoit. “However, it is the centrepiece in a series of new crime bills we intend to introduce as soon as possible. Future legislation will deal with a range of other equally pressing issues such as identity theft, mandatory penalties for serious drug crimes and amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act.”

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