Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Public Safety

I was watching the Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews on the CBC last night. He was talking about the governments intention to address crime in Canada. Now Stats Canada tells us that crime is on the decline, do in part to an aging population. That does not free us from dealing with the crime we do have. The conservative say that our justice system is not working and needs reform. I am in favour of reform. Institutions and policies need regular checkups to make sure are functioning as intended. There is a difference between a system needing reform because something isn't working and changing a policy because it works in a way that you don't like.
The conservatives want to change the rules regarding pardons. I can support changes that piratical and in the public interest. The purpose of the pardon is to allow someone who has turned their life around a fresh start. This site can answer questions you may have http://www.pardons.org/index.html .The idea is that someone should not pay for a life time for crimes they have committed and served their sentence on. There are an astonishing number of ways in which a conviction can hurt a persons at a fresh start. Certain crimes of a sexual or violent nature or certain individuals who by the very nature of their crimes or unrepentant behaviour should make up a separate category. But any changes need to satisfy the public interest not political interest. That interest being, the transition from criminal to productive citizen and the protection of the public. If changes are being made to firm up your brand with the crime and punishment crowd then you are not serving the public good.
The other thing that Mr. Toews said that struck me was the Conservative intention to spend more more to keep violent offenders in jail longer. He seemed to imply that they were going ahead with this regardless of opposition. I had to think hard on that one, but I couldn't think of any Political party that supports early release of violent offenders. People who are violent need to be kept separate but this leads to a problem, they eventually get out. Unless the Minister is going to change the rules and keep people in prison till they are harmless. What is the appropriate mix of punishment and reform? I don't know that, but i do know if it's all punishment they come out just as bad as they went in. Luckily the reason we elect people to government and employ competent public servants is to deal with these tough questions.
My last remark concerns the gun registry, for which the Minister has no money for. I like the gun registry. I am under no illusion that this registry prevents crime, but I think it is handy for the government to know who has weapons, how many they have and of what variety. Lets be frank on this as well, the Government has no plans to take away any ones legally owned and registered weapon. I will admit that this is a belief I am not actually a party too Government plans in this regard. I will also admit that members of my family have been gun owners and hunters for a long time, though i am not. I support gun ownership, a well regulated one. I think that police like it too even if the ones Toews talked with don't seem too, I know their bosses like it. I think changing punishment for noncompliance to a ticket from a criminal charge is correct. Legal gun owners need to register their weapons because it is required by law but should not suffer unduly if they don't. I think that the push for retiring the Gun Registry is just a sop to the base and if it is defeated in parliament the Tories can use it to run on. You know it will go like this Liberals hate guns and gun owners please vote for us.

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