May 01, 2008

OTTAWA – “As most Canadians know, our government made the safety and security of Canadians and their communities a key priority in the last election,” states Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright. “We have done much to fulfil those promises and today we see three sections of the Tackling Violent Crime Act come into force.”

"For years now, we have recognized the serious concerns of Canadians who feel unsafe in their communities as a result of sexual predators and dangerous criminals using guns. That's why our Government has worked tirelessly to make these legislative changes, even while facing barriers and opposition along the way," explains Benoit. "Today I am proud that these changes are officially part of Canada's Criminal Code, and our communities will be better protected from these criminals."

The provisions coming into force today, are:

• better protection for youth from adult sexual predators by increasing the age of protection for sexual activity from 14 years to 16 years;
• tougher mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes; and
• new bail provisions which require those accused of serious gun crimes to show why they shouldn't be kept in jail while awaiting trial.
  

Benoit points out that, in order to allow extra time for police, prosecutors, defence counsel, judges and other criminal justice system personnel to prepare to implement the important changes being introduced through the Tackling Violent Crime Act, the two remaining sections of the Act - impaired driving and dangerous offenders - will come into force on July 2, 2008. These provisions will provide for:

• more effective sentencing and monitoring to prevent dangerous, high-risk offenders from offending again; and
• new ways to detect and investigate drug-impaired driving as well as stronger penalties for impaired driving.
  

In addition to its comprehensive measures to tackle violent crime and in keeping with its commitment to make Canadian communities safer, the Government of Canada has also:

• introduced legislation to strengthen the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA);
• invested in crime prevention community projects across Canada that target youth;
• announced a comprehensive review of the YCJA in 2008;
• passed legislation to increase penalties for those convicted of street racing;
• announced plans to institute mandatory prison terms for serious drug crimes;
• passed legislation ending house arrest for serious crimes (ie: personal injury offences); and
• announced legislation to protect Canadians from identity theft.
  

“We are working to make Canada safer for Canadians,” concludes Benoit.

For more information on the Tackling Violent Crime Act, click here (pdf)