2006-10 (October)
BLAINE CALKINS MP REPORT
November 1, 2006
Public Safety and Justice a Priority - for some!
In the short time since the last federal election, the New Conservative Government has introduced several crime and justice bills that would keep dangerous offenders off our streets and protect those most vulnerable in our society, notably our children.
We have also taken measures to increase public safety by increasing law enforcement spending in several areas. In the last election, all other parties jumped on the band wagon and supported tough laws to restore our justice system. However, the reality is quite different.
Our government introduced a bill that would no longer allow people who commit serious crimes to receive house arrest. In the Justice committee, the combined Liberals, Bloc and NDP majority are reneging on their election promise and gutting several measures in this bill. We think that criminals who commit arson, steal cars or property over $5000 should go to jail. The opposition parties disagreed and they have removed these serious offences from the bill through amendments.
Other justice bills that the Minister, Vic Toews, tabled in the House will soon be coming before the same committee. They contain new measures to keep dangerous criminals off our streets. We also introduced legislation that will impose mandatory minimum sentences for gun, gang and drug crimes. We intend to raise the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 and crack down on street racing. It will be interesting to see how the opposition parties, who claimed to care about cracking down on crime during the election campaign, will water down and change these measures.
On the law enforcement front, we committed new money for more RCMP officers and the training facility as well as funding for victim services. Public Safety Minister, Stockwell Day introduced legislation to repeal the long gun registry and to use the resources more effectively.
We have also begun the task of arming and training our border officers. This is something they have been requesting for the last ten years. Their pleas were ignored by the previous government and the reason may lie in the comments made by Liberal MP, Derek Lee, in the House of Commons on September 25, 2006. He is on the record as calling the border officers“a bunch of wimps” for abandoning their posts when they heard that armed fugitives from the USA were approaching. This is unacceptable and deplorable!
Your new government is committed to improving public safety and overhauling the justice system. I am proud to be part of that change. I only hope the opposition parties will see the common sense in our approach, and help our legislation pass.
If you wish more information on any federally related matters please contact my Constituency office at: #6, 4612 - 50th Street, Ponoka, T4J 1S7. Tel: (403) 783-5530; toll free at 1-800-665-0865 or check my web site: www.blainecalkinsmp.ca