OTTAWA—Today Liberal Leader Bob Rae and Liberal Justice and Human Rights Critic Irwin Cotler reacted to the Harper government’s tabling of its crime omnibus bill.
“The Conservative government’s crime omnibus crime bill is a rehash of previously introduced, backwards crime legislation that threatens to wreak havoc on the Canadian justice system,” said Mr. Rae. “As crime rates decrease and when Canadians are focused on jobs and the contracting global economy, the Harper government is intent on spending untold billions on a crime agenda that has already proven to be costly and ineffective.”
The Conservative government is choosing rigid ideology over evidence and the real issues facing our justice system today.
“The Conservative crime agenda fails to understand the connection between issues of addiction and mental health and the issue of crime,” said Mr. Cotler. “This legislation further disadvantages the most vulnerable members of society, including those within Canada’s Aboriginal population. And the extreme financial burden this bill places on the Provinces will severely restrict their ability to fund social programs that work to prevent crime by targeting these at-risk individuals.”
Liberals are committed to pursuing a crime and justice approach that is evidence-based, cost-effective and focussed on crime prevention.
