The evidence is mounting. Our illustrious Justice Minister (who is no stranger to judges and the justice system himself), Vic Toews, followed his leader to Vancouver this week. I’m not sure how long Vic was in town, but it was long enough to warn the good people of Van-city that they are under siege…from lenient judges. According to Vic, the criminals are flocking to Vancouver, not only for the warm weather but also because the sentences are so low.
"People like to come here because the weather is fine and the sentences are low," Vic Toews joked during a warmly received luncheon speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade. The former Manitoba attorney-general also suggested that individuals who rob a bank in his home province would likely flee to this region to "get house arrest" in British Columbia.
I know I plan to knock off a liquor store before I go back to the T-Dot.
I also enjoyed the rest of the story, after a defence lawyer rightly called Toews’ tough talk crass vote buying and noted that while the Cons would reap political credit for getting tough it would mean increased costs to be borne by the provinces, when the piece mentioned that, you know, actual statistics show the crime rate in Canada is actually declining. Statistics be dammed, Vic Knows better!
He also disputed statistical data that the crime rate is steadily declining in Canada. He said the violent-crime rate is comparable with U.S. cities, and told the Board of Trade audience that Vancouver has the highest property-crime rate in North America, followed by Winnipeg.
In fact, Regina has the highest property-crime rate in Canada, followed by Abbotsford and then Vancouver. Winnipeg is fifth, according to Statistics Canada. While property-crime rates in Vancouver are above those of many U.S. cities, the murder rate is significantly lower and half that of New York, for example.
Statistics released by the Vancouver Police Department, which has had a nearly 15-per-cent budget increase in the past three years, indicate that violent crime is not rising.
Mr. Fowler described the government's insistence that communities in Canada are increasingly unsafe as "intellectually dishonest," yet effective politically. "It is a debate based on a fiction. Politics is about dealing with public perception, not the reality. The realities don't lead to votes."
So, we’ve established that judges are the real problem with our criminal justice system, what do we do now? Cut their pay, of course! What about that independent body created to set judicial salaries free of political interference? Screw that, political interference and cutting judges salaries will make for safer streets, right?
With the way they’re talking about journalists these days, I just hope there’s no way he can cut my pay. Warning Stephen: if you try I'll opt out of equalization!
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3 comments:
You are sooooo clueless it hurts
Oh, i thought that was just indegestion.
No Jeff, he means it hurts him. Like when the guy in my bulding who has assaulted at least 5 people, two of which were 14 year old boys, has at least 3 restraining orders against him, and he is still walking around terrorizing people. Why isn't he in jail?
Or the nice drug addict guy with the postal key who broke into our building 7 times in the space of a month. The RCMP wouldn't even attend, we had to physically catch him in the act. Why is he still free?
That's the pain our caring and generous Liberal judges have given us.
Hmm, well I'm sorry (not really) to hear that my cluelessness is causing right wing blog commentors physical pain. Perhaps I should post a disclaimer on the main page "May cause discomfort and/or nausea to convservative reactionaries, if symptoms presist, discontinue reading and consult Ann Coulter."
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